Undermining the Peace
by Rionarch
Summary: Consequences don't end after just a few days. After all, people can never be happy when their loyalties are divided by time, space, and worlds. Squeal to Undermining the Mission.
1. Disunity

Title: Undermining the Peace

Pairings: Aizen/Ichigo and others

Rating: PG13

Warning: Yaoi, some violence. OC alert.

Summary: Consequences don't end after just a few days. After all, people can never be happy when their loyalties are divided by time, space, and worlds.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or anything affiliated with it

Chapter One (Highest of Hopes)

Life had been going great for Kon are far he was able to see. Ever since that whole "winter war" business finished seven years ago, he'd been having a full on rockin' time in Ichigo's body, which was kept in premium shape. Wasn't like the guy was using it anymore right? Given that Urahara had arranged for the Kurosaki family to "die in a freak gas accident" and blow the clinic to kingdom come, Kon had moved out to the islands of America, where no one had ever heard of the name Ichigo Kurosaki.

Except, Sado Yasutora and his gaggle of children who lived only a little ways off from Cancun. Party poopers.

It was creepy though, seeing Sado as man. He'd only filled out a little more but wore his hair shorter and more of his face visible- still had those god awful shirt prints. That and his accent was back stronger than ever.

The two light hair kids, or were they kids? Their bodies said they were like five? Four? He didn't know anything about kids. But then there was an after image of what they would look like as adults.

Especially that dark haired kid, Sousuke Aizen, who just kept staring at him.

"Ichigo?" Sado coughed up his drink and the other two poked at him.

"Sou-kun, he said his name was Kon, right?" Sado had obviously raised them bilingual. After a few minutes of curious staring the light kids went outside to play and the dark one sat in a corner pretending to read. Unless reading upside down was the newest school subject.

"Thinking about returning to Japan, Sado? Or are you afraid of the trouble these there'll get into?" Silent as ever he just nodded and kept staring into space.

Ch'e, figures he'd be the most unsocial host ever.

"Hallie! Great to see you again!" Oh damn, who was that woman? She had it all!

"Sado, I need to-"

"What's your name, girl, what's your sign?" Ouch! Why did glasses hurt that much?! How the hell did she break that mug anyway?

"KUROSAKI?" Out of no where a sword was drawn and up to his throat. Feisty.

"This is not fucking fair, does everybody freaken know this kid?" Sado put a hand over the woman's mouth and shushed him, pointing to his lap. The brown hair kid was curled up in it.

"That's the first time he's slept in weeks. Let him be, Kon." Kon looked between the two and paid more attention to the little brat in his lap. He swore this kid looked familiar some how but… No. It couldn't be?

"Hey, Sado, whatever happened to Ichigo. I mean really. I don't buy that whole cock and bull story Urahara gave to the Shinigami- there's no way a Vasto Lorde would attack a room full of people." The two dark skinned people went completely silent and Kon guessed they were talking. Of all of them, Sado looked the saddest.

"He's in hell Kon." That wasn't the answer he was looking for. He was kinda expecting that he ran off with Rukia-neesan. Though the "hell" was a little more believable.

"Explain, please."

---

Nemu felt that she had adjusted to the human world fairly well and finally felt like she was understand the things her friends had told her all the time. That maybe it wasn't all her fault and maybe she was still a shinigami. She knew that her sword wasn't really like the other zanpakto, it didn't have a spirit or a name but that was probably because she wasn't born, just constructed like the other modsouls.

What worried her the most was Chizuru's blooming reiatsu. Most of the Karakura citizens had some sort of spiritual powers- it was, after all, the most spiritually dense place on earth and a few humans had realized that.

"Baby? What's the matter, I thought you had an Orgo lecture now?" Speaking of the devil, her girlfriend eased herself onto the couch into nothing other that a tee and the beaker printed underwear she had given her.

After the 12th division human biology and chemistry was child's play, and Tokyo University was very…accommodating for her lack of records just to get their hands on her. She had changed a lot in the past years, much more human like. Instead of her hair always being pulled back neatly it hung loose and Ishida had even commented that she seemed much more spirited and alive now. It was the little things, mostly the stuff that Chizuru taught her.

"Chi, you remember how I told you I was different?" Mmm. Chizuru snuggle her face in her stomach and relaxed with the newspaper- typical of the "liberal arts" major without any structure or set classes.

"I'm dead. Or rather I'm an artificial soul that was put into a false body so I looked human. You can ask Tatsuki-chan and Ishida. I need to tell you…"

"Baby shut up. I knew some of that already, you know? Just…just forget about it alright? It's over now and I'm not dying anytime soon." Here she smirked and winked through the glasses, holding onto the arms that were rubbing circles on her stomach.

"Plus if anything does happen I've got my strong superwoman here with me right?"

Nemu had never realized that you could be uncomfortable in skin until you really felt it. Earth was much more heavenly than the Seireitei in all aspects so far.

"That's right Chi. Not going to let anything hurt you." The red head rolled off of the couch and told her to get her ass to class, because someone had to get a job to pay the bills.

---

Uryu wished the disaster of a night was over already. It was awkward to so many degrees that even the waitress was given him sympathetic looks. Having his _partner_ thoroughly discuss his less then stellar hollow fights with Ryuuken, who had quite suddenly remembered the first four years of his life and nothing else.

He was an adult he didn't have to take this.

"Hah! And did he every tell you about the time he missed the hollow's wing and landed face first into a ramen stand?" Or he could flee to the men's room, where even the towel man felt sorry for him. The old man gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder while he gripped the sink tighter.

"Look, at least she's comfortable enough with you and your family to tell these stories. The man seems to like her as well." That did it.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" could be heard throughout the restaurant and the stares went to the well watched table.

"You may excuse yourselves back your meals." Tatsuki tsked and Ryuuken poured her a glass of wine.

"You'd think he'd grow up, even a little. We've been living with each other for two years now and he still can't get that I like him."

"To be fair I think he's a little afraid of you." Tatsuki hadn't ignored her life after the whole Winter War business and was now the undisputed female martial arts expert in Japan, with other titles and rankings spread around.

"And you're not?"

"No, I'm not."

"You're not what? Done humiliating me in public?" Ryuuken scoffed at him and motioned for the check before helping Tatsuki out of her seat.

"You do that to yourself. You never really were careful enough about everything around you. It has been a pleasant evening Arisawa-san." The walk to the cars was silent, as was the drive home between the not-couple.

"I don't think you understand how much of a bastard that man is Tatsuki." She hung her arm out of the window and watched the edges of her newest sprained wrist blow around.

"Or maybe you're not just used to giving people the chances they deserve." Uryu's frown deepend and her kept his eyes on the road instead of her.

"It would be best to stay away from him Tatsuki." Tatsuki missed Ichigo. Even when he was off doing his own thing he'd always at least talk to her about whatever was on he mind and knew when she was bothered.

'_And he'd probably get where I'm coming from too.'_

Chapter Two (Young Lust)

The crowd gave the two of them a wide berth, even the teachers. It wasn't too often that one of the Captains personally came to the graduation of a few students, especially when there wasn't anybody really exceptional in the class.

That, and the 13ths guard dog was there with Captain Hitsugaya. The number of solicitors and "well wishers" going to see Ukitake dropped drastically after they had pissed Karin off a few too many times. They weren't waiting in the celebratory courtyard long when the three they came for ran out, decked in their official uniform.

"We're done! No more school, homework, or stupid matrons!" Yuzu hugged her sister close to her chest and held on for quite a while. While students were allowed to be visited the seven year separation between the twins wasn't a very welcome one. Ururu had missed Karin too and couldn't wait to see if they would be in the same squad.

"So you've already been taken in by a division?" Toshiro knew enough from experience to let the girls have their gibberish said and talked to Jinta, who hopefully had become more stable from the years of school.

"Fuck Yeah!" he took his sword out of its sheath and slammed into the ground with much gusto, leaving little cracks behind. "11th Division Seated officer!" He looked so proud. Toshiro wondered how his guardians were taking that.

"Still don't think it's fair, you know." Ururu was out of the running for seated officer for the time being. Her poor literacy skills kept her out of the advanced classes Yuzu and Jinta were able to get into, even though during the entrance, she overpowered them.

"Don't feel so bad. Jinta only got in because there were gaps from the recent deaths in the 11th. Well catch up in no time." Yuzu pouted at his sister, who was already one the three 14th seats in her own division and towards Toshiro. "But why aren't you two in uniform?" Toshiro looked at their outfits- still nicely styled but colorful in the ways that their uniforms weren't.

"We took the day off and there's no reason to make us look like we could be called on duty." Karin's pager chose that moment to go off. "…because we took the day off that shouldn't be even on."

"Che. You don't have as many emergencies in job. Something goes wrong and Captain Ukitake worries and gets sicker." Jinta had to start talking again.

"And that is why you are the bitch to call." Dimly Toshiro wondered if there were any fourth division members to be in the crowd.

"Oh, I haven't seen him bleed that much since the 7th year cut his stomach open."

"Such a shame really. Well at least Captain Unohana will get to know him." The two girls went over to help Jinta but Toshiro was curious about what Karin was rapidly typing.

"Karin, who are you typing so much to?"

"None of your damn business. Yachiru said she'll be at the party over the Shiba's. Grandma's gunna freak when she find out that Yuzu's joining a division anyway." The trio didn't head immediately back because the posting for the divisions where about to be put up, and well, Jinta was still being healed.

"You know you could just be my Vice Captain." Toshiro didn't think Karin should have laughed that loud- she was his best friend as far as things went.

"Friends don't let Friends have the same office. Besides I'm not replacing anybody."

"That's not fair. I don't know who Matsumoto is anyway…"

"Or much of the battles either." Yuzu came running back, pulling Ururu along with her.

"KARIN! I'm in Captain Madarame's division! And Ururu's with Orihime-chan!"

---

Momo threw the stacks of paper onto her Capatin's desk. No, on Isshin's desk, because he wasn't her captain. It had taken her a while but she had come to terms with the fact that Captain Aizen had been conned but was still guilty until proven innocent. She understood that.

And this son of a bitch demoted her to 3rd seat, leaving the Vice Captaincy Vacant. Her Captain Tanimonban took away everything she had worked for with no apparent reason. His son, the Ryoka, was probably the one who caused the whole winter escapade anyway.

"Eh? Why are you being so mean!" She pointed to where her Vice Captain's badge used to be and glared at him some more, hoping that he gets the point.

"You've got to prove to me you want it back! I can't just give the job away to anybody! Even you're friend, Kira, learned to bend to the will of his captain!" It was true. While not bald, a couple of the third division members held Kira down and cut his hair. Recently there has also been an increase in the lack of shirts in the division- slowly ebbing its way into a male-only one. Well maybe not quite.

"Can't believe your taking that calmly…" Of course she knew that Isshin knew nothing about Yuzu's placement, it had only happened that morning after all and the sisters wanted time with one another.

"What am I taking calmly?" He seemed mildly curious and bugged eyed at the info formation.

"Why little Yuzu being in the third division after all. I'm sure she'll get used to the sight of their bare chests and sweaty work outs soon enough."

Resultingly she might have been deaf in her one ear for a while, but the look of total horror on her supposed Captains face was fun. The screaming not so much.

---

It was all a matter of statistics and numbers. Because of the missing Captains, the 3rd, 5th, 9th, and 12th had less structure and incoming shinigami than the rest. Ergo, for the past few years, they have been given preference to the class of shinigami.

Explaining all this to Isshin Tanimonban was easy if you hit him enough times. But that wasn't what was confusing him- and Izuru for that matter. Yuzu Kurosaki was a Kurosaki and that did not explain her…her behavior.

"Please take good care of me!" She was bowing! She had manners! Izuru watched as his Captain cried. He'd been excited when another Kurosaki was coming around that this demur little girl pretty much left his hopes in the garbage.

"Kira, do we have someplace we can put her? They're going to rip her apart." He felt bad for those little girls, either of the names they could have chosen we both very dangerous. Some of their men didn't easily forgive those that had died when the traitors started their assault on the Seireitei, or her brother's part in murdering the royal guards.

"Our human world rotation is coming up. She grew up in Karakura, right?" Ikkaku's head gleamed when he smiled.

"Perfect! And her family won't have to kill me then too." It was a rapid flurry of paperwork all over the place, somehow getting his signature on all of them. It had to be some sort of 11th division training cause Renji and Iba were able to do the same thing.

"Yes. With your luck she'd get hurt and her brother'll come back from the grave." There was a shudder in the room. Without a doubt is was miraculous how close they were to being annihilated and avoided it.

Chapter Three (Without A Net)

"Okay, lights are good. Makudo, you have the permits and everything right? Okay, we go in seven." Keigo was content with his life; a decent paying job, no wife, and lots of movement. How he'd managed to become the head of stage crew for Ghost Bust and its related shows all had to do with one very simple thing. His Karakura Life. Besides Ghost Bust, several ghost and other world shows knew that Karakura was different, especially the people that lived there. Almost everybody who had been in the town for more than five years had some sort of sensitivity, while faint blurbs of the dead were visible to the lifers there.

Keigo knew why people in Karakura suddenly disappear for no reason and he knew who lived in those houses. It was scarey to think of what was living there but Kanoji said not to disturb them and they might not attack. The lights above the stage creaked and a black robed appeared in front of him

"Excuse me, I will need to speak with Kanoji and yourself." Keigo didn't see this night ending well- this shinigami didn't seem like a fan of the show.

"Err, could you wait until after filming." The nondescript man paused before nodding.

"If its needed for your full attention then yeas, that would be alright. This is a matter of urgency that I do not think you'll over look." Then something struck Keigo as odd, the way his uniform was colored. Where the white undershirt normally was, there was a blue one.

He didn't have any powers like her friends, per say, but years of living with his sister helped him realize when it was about to hit.

---

Erito Takada looked att he boy in front of him and realized that once again the 11th division had picked the single most violent fighter from the graduating class and gave him a seated position. He himself had started at 12th seat and worked his way to the 6th seat, but it was not fun.

For all the misgivings about Captain Zaraki he had the least seated officers of the Seireitei; as in there was no seat sharing. When the painful revelation that maybe Captain Commander Kyouraku did screw up his placement, Erito tried as hard as he could to get out of the division.

And somehow through every single fight he had either won through accident or technical default. He didn't know until the last fight that having pain meds in your system while trying to fight was technical default. Shujin got transferred out instead of himself and Erito didn't think he'd ever forgive him for that.

"OH! Ken-chan JINTA'S HERE!" It was bad enough seeing one kid here, but two? And this 'Jinta' seemed to be on friendly terms with the Vice Captain.

"C'mon, lets go bother Toshiro!"

"Wait, let me get my bat. Is Karin going to be there?" Since this was not a time of war their sword had to be put away for the most part. Of course this kid has a bat to substitute. The former 3rd seat Captain Madarame still carries around his wooden sword too.

"Hope so cause I need to talk to her about something. I've been hearing some no good things."

---

"Good Morning Captain Hime." Orihime smiled at the shinigami passing, trying not to flinch. She hated when people called her that. Almost nobody respected her as a Captain and it was really starting to show. Dealing with that still she had to go and face Captain Unohana now, who disliked her for no explainable reason.

She became a Captain to help people and felt pretty useless right about now.

Even just a few months ago the First Division's living quarters would have been lively and very vibrant but then she wouldn't be there.

"Please enter Captain Inoue. Captain Kyouraku is still in his drugged sleep, so please be quick." It was really sad. Shunsui was dying in the same way as Captain Yamamoto had just the few years before. Ukitake looked so worried and sick himself, sitting in the corner while Unohana waited over Shunsui's bed. She wasn't able to cure or even slow down the disease or whatever it was. It started slow and came as more of a shock then Yamamoto's since he was still so young; well, comparatively. Ukitake sighed and looked at her.

"We really appreciate you keeping so quiet. Lisa and Nanao have suspicions but they don't know yet."

"I understand. I reject, Soten Kisshun." Her fan's blades dissolved into the yellow light and started undoing the damage and strain to Captain Kyouraku. Theoretically it was taking more and more to get rid of the damage and it just kept coming back faster. Lisa only started suspecting something when his sake was replaced with herbal tea and medicine- the others didn't know at all.

"Captain Inoue?" Oh! She blanked out.

"Sorry Captain Unohana, you were saying?" There was a cold look but she didn't shiver or waver. She imagined that Unohana would be like her own mother and not really like her anyway. Orihime wondered if her mother and father were even aware that she was dead.

"You are dismissed." It was a long walk back to the 12th and she didn't feel like flash stepping. Some of the courtyards were very nice as were the people. She wasn't respected but well liked if anything made sense. Seven years and she still couldn't help anybody, was even more alone before, and still felt useless.

---

"Oh, hey, Rukia do you think-"

"Sorry Renji really have to go see you!" Rukia didn't think she could shut the door to the 13th Division any faster. She let out a sigh and wondered if he was going to get the point anytime soon.

"A problem Kuchiki-san or is Renji just being obtuse?" Yumichika smirked passed the closed gateway where Renji would most likely be sulking another missed chance at asking Rukia out. The girl could only fist her hair in frustration.

"Fifty years he doesn't speak to me and now its like he's trying to make up for lost time! Ouch!" Yumichika slapped her hands out of her hair.

"It is most unfortunate that someone like yourself had decided that being as bald as Ikkaku is a good hairstyle. Come on and have some tea with me before your next assignment. Captain Ukitake is making sure the Toshiro Watch is still in full effect and Kiyone and Sentaro are...well they're gettign drunk. Sometime I wonder if there is a real difference between this division and the 11th."

"Thank you Ayesegawa-san. Its just... I can't even wander near the 6th withouth being afraid that he'll well..."

"Say no more Kuchiki-san, it'll be taken care of one way of another. Now tea?"

---

House number seventeen was horrible. It brought to mind picture of the American film Animal House, in both appearance and the people living there.

"Avirama, get your ass back in here!"

"Fuck off Finder, I'm watching people here." Tesla sighed and started sweeping in front of their white house. Apparently they couldn't' quite let go of the whole "white walls and sand" theme from Heuco Mundo. So far the neighbors just thought they were institutional escapees trying to find zen.

Il Forte had been systematically putting together a chain link fence for the better part of two days while Apache bitched from the kitchen.

Tesla wondered if they were ever going to understand Karakura town- or why they weren't even its strangest residents.

Chapter Four (The I in Epic)

Hihati smacked the girl across her cheek before lacing up her shoes for softball.

"I didn't bring you to all these fucking practices for you to sit on the benches, understand me Ami?" Ami didn't look at her mom but nodded before the coach called her in for the pre-game warm up.

"Hikati! Great to see you again, Mina, why don't you run along and warm up with Ami over there?" Deidei skipped over to the other mother in the bleachers waiting for the game to start. "It must make you so excited to see your daughter playing softball like you used to, she's the spitting image of you. Will Mugen be here tonight?"

Hihati probably hated this woman more than she hated the fucking surgeon that decided that her foot was too dead and hacked it off twelve years ago. The bitch's husband died, her kid was barely passing school, and she was nearly jobless but still so happy. It was sickening.

"Maybe if she could hit something I'd be proud but it looks like she's got Mugen's talent." As in none at all. Deidei frowned.

"You should be a little happier for her you know. She's probably just trying to make you happy and be a great player like you used to be. Watch, I'm sure her and Mina will score home runs this time. YOU CAN DO IT MINA BABY!" The blonde spazz screamed at her duaghter when the game started.

"Right, sure she will." 'And I'll get my position of short stop back again.'

---

They were too quiet for him to really appreciate and had that "quiet honor" stuff, but Kensei wanted to know where on earth Captain Komamura and Hisagi were dragging him. They had talked on occasion and it had been odd to think that one of the brats he'd scared away from the hollow on That Night grew up to be good shinigami.

The tattoos needed and explanation though, cause Lisa had literary laughed at the double 69 symbol. He knew that would bite him in the ass someday. It'd been a rough half a year since Love and Hatch both kicked the bucket. Rose and Mashiro were oddly content with living as humans, Rose working in a music store and Mashiro starring in a biweekly segment of Ghost Bust. The furry one spoke first and Hisagi listened with rapt attention.

"You were Kaname's captain according to what Ukitake said. How...well how was he in your division." Tousan, may the traitor rot in hell, was the Komamura's first friend and the other's beloved captain. He had to break this easily.

"Kaname Tousan was self righteous prick who kissed Aizen ass from day one. No one in my damn squad liked the asshole and it was probably only cause the twisted fuck was being used that he was even put in the Captaincy position." Well, maybe not gracefully given but it worked. Mashiro probably would have been laughing at them or hitting him.

"Perhaps it would be best in you left, Muguruma." It wasn't like he wanted to be involved with those two oddballs anyway. Seriously, who tattoos their face because of some random ass person?! The downward slope from the grave was a quiet one and Kensei had his hands stuffed into his khakis- most vizards kept their human clothes- when a lone shinigami was heaving his way back up.

"Just a warning, everybody at the tops in a moody way." Even he couldn't see through the glasses the shinigami in front of him seemed to be downcasted.

"But Shuuhei knows that we've got a meeting in an hour. We're finally getting the new budget."

"Budget?" All weariness disappeared and Kensei swore he saw flames appear behind the shinigami.

"Yes! Finally, the Shinigami Men's Association will have funds to work with and be respected for!" He knew his grin wasn't all that welcoming but he sure as hell was.

"Ignore them, you've got my full attention. Now, Men, as in no spastic chicks?"

---

She was completely bored with this game. Occasionally you'd see a girl that was almost capable of being semi-pro with training but there was absolutely no talent to be seen at this game. Not even from her own duaghter.

You'd think Deidei would realize that.

"COME ON SWING IT GIRL! AMI HIT IT RIGHT OUTTA HERE!" She insisted on screaming loud enough for the both of them.

The universe is a strange place and selective in itself, with irony showing in the cruelest of ways. It was during that pitch that Ami Teuno would hit her first and only home run for her entire life.

That wayward ball would also be the one that shot itself with a crack right into Hihati's head, shattering bone and giving her an almost instant death.

Oddly enough, Deidei was also completely silent for the only time in her life for that moment as well.

---

Chad had a strong imagination for things and knew that he sometimes made something out of nothing. Leon, their lion, was only a small kitten who also pretended to be a big, bad, killing machine. However this time he though that maybe the kids were trying to say something to him.

Cartoons of Japanese food lying around. Gin's emphasis on his native traditions. Rangiku wouldn't talk to him in any manner except Japanese. Only Sousuke had been kinda normal the passed few weeks but even then the map of Japan was being molded out of the arroz rice.

"I think it's time we head back to Japan." Rangiku and Gin cheered but Sousuke had that sly smile on his face.

"That good to hear. Now you won't be so mad when you read these deportment papers." Gin stopped dancing only to poke him in the thigh.

"Said somethin' about child services and neglect." Maybe it was a good thing that Ichigo wasn't exactly here for this. We probably would have bit whoever made this report or kicked him in the face.

Well at least they weren't going to be too upset over the move.

---

"Ami, are you going to be okay?" It might have been strange to see her just looking at the ambulance that was taking her mother away but really she had to wait for Mina's mom to get the car.

She wasn't supposed to be feeling relieved instead of guilty though.

"Mina...I think...I think this was a good thing." Her friend looked shocked for a minute and then smiled. Both of them knew that Ami had hated her mother for forcing so much on her but now she was at least in a better place, annoying other people.

"I don't feel good about it but its like a weight's off my chest." For the first time in about two years Ami smiled as bright as she used to.

Hihati, being chained to the ground of the pitch, could only scream to the unhearing people at what a bitch her daughter was.

---

'Day one back in the home turf. Take no prisoners!' Yuzu gripped her sword and marched up to the Arrancar strong hold. A fairly subdued one in a gigai with light blond hair answered.

"Hey, you! So long as you don't go around eating souls we won't have a problem, alright?" Tesla nodded mutely wondering if they could get the shinigami's name.

There was something oddly familiar about the cute little frown and determined set of her eyes.

Chapter Five (Bits of Bashed Ego)

Tatsuki wasn't vain but for dinners thrown by her sensei an effort was made to look presentable. And to have a date, which she had conned Uryu into the past couple of years. Toothbrush in mouth and hair dryer blowing she could barely make out her roommate's whining about not telling him before hand.

Spagh. "And who said you were invited Uryu? You have that test coming up right?" He appeared to be huffed and went to sit on their couch.

"Then who are you going with?" Thank god he couldn't see the grin on her face- he was already getting jealous! Now just three...two..one...

Ding Dong. '_Perfect_'.

It wasn't her normal style but Tatsuki threw on one of the dress Chizuru had forced her into getting over the years, mainly ones that made her look slightly trampy.

"What are you doing here Ryuuken?" She three in a matching clip and slid into the living room where both Ishida's were waiting.

"Sorry to keep you so long, Ryuu, but my zipper kept getting stuck. See you later Uryu." Ryuuken even had a small corsage for her wrist- his son had never done something like that for her. Their exit was halted by Uryu slamming the door, looking very red in the face.

"I'm not even going to start with him, but what are you doing Tatsuki?" Poor guy couldn't seem to understand why she was hanging off of his dad's arm.

"Well he treated us to dinner the other night so it would only be fair to pay him back. Plus sometimes you just want some arm candy for diners like this. C'mon we're going to be late if we stall much longer." Ryuuken smirked at his son while opening the door for her. It wasn't until they were down at the end of the hallway that they started whispering.

'_Is he looking?_' She was in dreamland. It wasn't as if she were guy crazy but making her "not" boyfriend jealous with someone that treated her like a girl and was suave about it would make anybody smile wide.

'Yes. He's very jealous. He has a good reason to be though you must admit.'

So she did.

---

"We, my dear _brothers and sisters_, are in deep shit." As should be expected every time Sexta can clearly explain the problem. It's a sign of doom. Aizen was not going to be pleased with them once he returned.

The hogyoku was about to fully release itself under his ministrations but then the vasto lorde had attack on rampage and put a halt to the war. Arrancar and even low hollow numbers dwindled for decades now and they were desperate for new comrades. So they decided to pool their reaistu and transform one of their "brothers or sisters".

This whole experiment ended with Wonderweiss Magara and a fractured hyogyoku. Ulquiorra wondered how they were going to explain wrecking the experiment for Wonderweiss, nothing even close to Espada level. All that were left of them were Syazel, Grimmjow, Himself, Hallibel, Barragan, and Stark. Neliel, if you considered, was still here as well, but taking care of a mission.

"How are we going to fix this?"

"What about that broad that helped Aizen and the others? She seems easy to get and not all that strong to put up a fight either."

"True, her powers were shown to heal or reverse things but we can not be certain of its extent. It is our best shot."

"Ulquiorra you'll take care of this. Stark and Hallibel already have their own missions. Please take care of this without a fuss?" Without warning Grimmjow blasted a cero to the entrance door.

"Get the fuck out, Privions. You ain't getting your numbers back!"

---

"Would you say you had a happy childhood, Vice Captain Kuchiki?" Byakuya glared at the man interrogating his wife needlessly, on her _childhood_ of all things.

"I was happy. Where do you expect my answers to lead you?" The man was starting to shiver, the two in front of him were very compatible in appearance as well as the art of intimidation.

"The Central Forty Six is looking to revise its Shinigami Laws, what with ryoka running amok, the messes in the human world, and one of the topics...is the militarism in children. They will ban it unless proper evidence of good mental health and happiness is proven otherwise." There Byakuya knew he had to step in. It was obvious the foul was going to bait Nanao into saying something like how she missed her surrogate mother and use it.

"May I ask how the interviews with Captain Hitsugaya and Vice Captain Kusajishi?" The man paled and fumbled with the cuffs of his black sleeves. The blue undershirt gave him away as a member of the Central Forty Six's 'personal guard', something they had deemed necessary after the others were killed.

"We were unable to confront Captain Hitsugaya because the bull- uh... Kurosaki-san made it impossible and there have been several...incidents... involving the interview of Vice Captain Kusajishi."

"Well then how about I go ask her myself? I'm sure she'll be thrilled with having another person to play with besides Captain Zaraki." Byakuya smirked and watched his wife stare down the man into leaving.

She certainly wasn't like Hisana but he didn't care as much. Rukia did not mind either, having looked up to Ise in the past. After over a centaury things were _finally_ looking perfect.

---

Nel was poking the bitter woman in the baseball field. The beatsy person was trying to rip off her chain and go after a little girl in the dugout.

"You know lady, we should really just go to Hueco Mundo now. If you turn into a hollow and stay here the shinigami will get you!" She had a very important job- finding hollows and brining them back to Hueco Mundo since the Shinigami have been working double speed lately. The Espada thought she was too little to stay there, so they sent her to earth to find people.

"Back off you little shit!" A final tug of the chain came loose and Hihati broke down into a hollow. Either she was going to Heuco Mundo or Nel would have to try kill her, although that was really the last choice!

'_Dis might be betta if I had a sword_.'

Chapter Six ( --. .-. --- --- ...- -.-- )

The room was in an uproar, all for good reasons. Strictly speaking at least one incarnation of the Central Forty-Six had ruined, complicated, or downright ruined the lives of everybody in the meeting hall.

It was, sadly, probably the most unifying moment of recent Gotei Thirteen history. Captain Commander Kyouraku had the honors of listing the newest provisions being though of by their _esteemed and honored _governmental body. Jushiro knew that his friend was very distressed by what was going on and by what those crack pots were thinking. There were very few good times to be had by many. That peace that had been shattered years ago seemed to have reassembled itself without their help or interference. The shinigami had done _nothing_ in the manner other than feebly defend and watch super powers wreck around.

It was becoming more and more obvious that 'peace' was just a very thin varnish, but he didn't have much time to think about that.

Shiro was still recovering and becoming super dependent on his friends, especially Karin. Orihime was having what could best be described as a mid-life crisis. Sajin was trying to fit into any place. Isshin was still trying to piece his family back together- no luck at all.

Kisuke and Karin had been plotting; everybody was worried. Last snippet he'd heard of there conversation involved a 'next disaster' so god knows what those two were doing.

The Central Forty-Six set up their own guard with non-shinigami related missions to the real world. The Vizards were torn between being ostracized and pitied. The Royal Houses were in tizzy, mostly thanks to Isshin, and...

Jushiro took a quick glance over to Byakuya. The man seemed to be blinked 'help me' in morse code? Yorucihi's leer wasn't helping matters.

And the worst? For the first time in his entire life, he wondered if his best friend was going to go before he did.

---

'_Jus one more cero and she'll be gone_.' Nel wasn't having a tough time with the newly formed hollow, Hatchback, but she didn't want any of the girls playing baseball to get hurt either and one of them was Hatchback's prey.

"Got her!" The hollow screamed again but it was drowned out by the crowd cheering for a hit. "I wanna play..." Maybe the shinigami girl that's been patrolling Karakura would play that with her. The hollow still wasn't going to bits though and that was worrying her. Nel didn't want the deficient creature to suffer but couldn't do much.

"Ah!" What happened next was singularly the most horrifying and happiest moment in her life. She watched as the hell gate that took _him_ away from her and his home appear and began the dismembering pull into the dark void. Vaguely, there was a sound like a voice. Then the sound of footsteps. Then a foot, planted right on the face of the hollow's mask.

The escapee's arms were swung back in a full running motion, sending drops of blood through the air and making the chaffing all along his arms. But more important, was the orange.

"ITSYGO!!"

---

"To be perfectly clear, I'm not jealous. I just can't imagine the reason Tatsuki would take my middle aged, asshole of father on not only one date but _several_ in the past three weeks." Uryu let up on the record button and sighed. It was supposed to be therapeutic to organize thoughts in either journal but voice recordings were much more effective. The verbal confirmations wouldn't leave any confusion over what was really being said. Tatsuki would have found a journal if he had one anyway, so disguising it as "Lecture #23" was much safer.

Uryu continued with his diatribe when he was intruded upon via window.

"Oi, Ishida, open up!" Dead men didn't come back to life after they've died as shinigami. Yet Kurosaki was on his window still holding a small child in his arms.

---

"That's what basically happened." Ichigo normally wouldn't just raid someone else refrigerator but he hadn't really eaten anything in... well he didn't know how long, but long enough for his Quincy friend to develop something of a nervous tick. Neliel was napping on the couch and he left her be there. It would be much easier explaining.

"What were you thinking! You don't even know what happened after you left or did you not care to find out." Nothing had really changed between _them_.

"I LEFT TO MAKE SURE YUZU, KARIN, AND KARAKURA WAS SAFE!" Ichigo took some deep breaths before downing the glass of water. He never screamed at someone like that. Hell, if nothing else, had given him a lot fo time to think of what he should have done, could have done, and what he should do. "How is everybody now...?"

"Orihime's a Captain. The girl, Nemu, whose father was taken away by Ichimaru is living in the human world with Chizuru, who is starting to become more aware like a lot of other people. Mizuru's off somewhere in the pacific and Keigo's working for Ghost should be back any minute now. You've got some things to explain to, like how betraying everybody was going to _save_ us." Ishida crossed his arms and waited for the answer. Like Ichigo was going to give him one.

"I need to find Chad soon. Do you have any way of reaching the Soul Society?" There was a confused look.

"Kurosaki, why do you think the entire apartment is lined with material that blocks spiritual detection?"

"...it is?" Curiously the glass in Ishida's lens was cracking. "You know your glasses are chipped."

"We're about to be hunted." The forkful of rice dropped before he could swallow it.

"Excuse me?" Ishida pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed it to him, giving a commentary as Ichigo read.

"The Central Forty-Six, you know the murdered ones, reassembled and they've had enough with 'freedoms' as it seems. Every spiritually aware person on the planet is getting these letters, specifically Karakura. They will be coming after us sooner or later and either impressing us or..well you understand the other option. Whatever tolerance they had is now over." Ishida pushed the glasses on top of his nose. "I'll leave you to full digest that and whatever you've been shoving into your mouth."

"You've taken me coming back and going through your place easier then you would have. Why?"

"That is what you're wondering? Only you. I'm used to it at least. Ever since we went to rescue Rukia, remember her right? You've always disappeared on your own and never said anything. Maybe I just don't believe that you're really here. AT least you might be useful now, we're undoubtably going to have to fight again." He left and the only sounds left in the room were Nel's quiet snores. For the first time in many years there was something hopeful and burning inside of Ichigo that made him want to smile. He had a reason again. Now he would take the advice that others gave him (marginally at least).

Karakura still needed to be defended. He has to find his friends and fix everything he left behind, even if it was with the best intentions. He has to get back to Grimmjow and have those dozen rematches, and play with Neliel, and watch after the other kids. He has to _somehow_ get his family back together. He has to help Gin and Rangiku in making the Rukongai a better place.

Ichigo had a lot to think about in Hell. And now he knows that he shouldn't ever go back to the devil. Loving a person doesn't make them any less of a Devil.

'_Sousuke, good-bye_.'

---

Orihime was super excited. It was vacation time! Well, not a typical vacation but it was something she done as often as she could. All she wanted to do was help people but that was nearly impossible behind the walls, and she was more trapped than ever with Shunsui being sick.

"Right-o Captain Hime!" Mokoto tried, she really did, but she was the most persistent one in calling her Captain Hime.

"I'll be in the upper districts if anybody ever needs to find me. Take care of everything thing Mokoto!"

---

Knock. Knock. KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!!!!

"SOMEBODY ANSWER THE FUCKING DOOR!" Apache growled and flung it open like it was purposefully ruining her nap time. It was the shinigami girl with puffed out cheeks.

"Have you brought a new arrancar here? I don't care but I've got to know."

"No! Now scram!" Tesla looked over from the couch because he had noticed the odd reaistu as well but it promptly disappeared. It had the same kind of nagging feeling that the girl had.

"But..."

"SCRAM!" Apache slammed the door shut and locked it. "Damnit I hope Hallibel says we can hurt that thing right Tesla. Tesla?" Apache looked at him, a little worried. He had dropped his paper and stared out of focus out of the window. It wasn't anything the two dumbass blondes did since they were out finding a job or something and Aviyama was watching some American game on the television.

"Apache...we need to call them now. Get the phone." That ticked her off.

"Who the hell are you, ya stupid NUMEROUS to-"

"Apache. Get. The. Phone."


	2. Reassemble

Title: Undermining the Peace

Pairings: Aizen/Ichigo and others

Rating: PG13

Warning: Yaoi, some violence. OC alert.

Summary: Consequences don't end after just a few days. After all, people can never be happy when their loyalties are divided by time, space, and worlds.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or anything affiliated with it

Chapter Seven (And You're Welcome)

Neliel was playing one of the video games that Tatsuki had lent her, leaving the two to talk. Ishida was out of the house but Tatsuki was glad to have some one on one time with her oldest friend. Sure he'd been here for a week but most of that time was spent healing him and getting meat back on to his bones. She still felt as if she knew Ichigo better than most others, so avoided the subject of war and other messy business and went straight for the killer- love.

"So...the others really didn't get it but I think I do. What made you love Aizen?" Even though she was a 'living' shinigami with a sword she still wasn't one of them. Sure, she helped defend the city during attack on the Soul Society when larger albeit weaker hollows attacked the human world, but she hadn't been ruined. A little lonely, but still able to lead a productive life.

"I think that maybe he was just there. Everyone around had lied and just...a lot of stuff went wrong. He was just someone that genuinely wanted me. I wasn't really in the right mind back then."

"Nah I see where you're coming from. Do you at least fit in the Half and Seven rule?" She saw Ichigo do the mental math in confusion.

"Do zeros count? And what about you? I heard Ishida mumbling to himself about you and his dad?" Tatsuki waved him off but then dropped her spoon, feeling worried. Well, it was Ichigo and it wasn't like he was going to tell anybody.

"He was talking to his stupid journal thing. Thinks I don't know about it. But uh... well Uryu and I have been living together for a really long time now and I thought we were, you know, a couple. He still doesn't. So Ryuuken and I decided to start making him jealous..."

"Yeah and? He's jealous enough already." Ichigo helped himself to the rest fo the cereal box- between the two of them they had nearly cleaned the house out of food. Idly she tapped the spoon in the bowl.

"You were attracted to an older man more than other teens from the start. Oh, speaking of that most people still don't believe that you're gay or that you were with Aizen. They think I'm making this shit up." He pinned her with a hard glare that made her fidget a little. Neliel screamed from the background that she needed to use the 'puter to look up cheat codes.

"You're stalling. And ask Tatsuki!"The Doorbell rang but before she could answer it ichigo snatched her wrist.

"You're not getting out of this that easy. After allt he embarrassing conversations you've put me through it's only evenening things out."

"Go Ahead! Yeah, well to make things easy I kinda like Ryuuken more than Uryu. I slept with him too, so its not a one sided thing."

'Interesting'. Ichigo's mouth was opened so wide that the cheerio she threw in there came tumbling out. The doorbell was still being run and Nel had to answer it because the grown ups weren't going to get off their lazy asses.

---

"Grimmjow! We haven't heard from Neliel in a week! Do you thin she got lost in Karakura?!" Pesche had lost the bet and had to be the one to confront the Sexta about Nel's disappearance. He and Dondochakka weren't happy with her leaving so young to begin with and now it was just confirmed. So what if she was the fifth strongest, she was still a little girl, probably starving to death out there.

"I get it. The fuckers at the out post said that some freaky stuff has been going on there. It's the perfect place to check things out. Maybe the brat's found her own action there." Pescha beamed. If they were going to attack Karakura as a distraction then maybe...

"YOSH! So Dondochakka, Bawabawa, and I can help in the attack?!"

"No." Poor Nel was probably crying her eyes out...

---

"Whose you?" She'd been having a great time since her Ichigo had come back from there. They'd been sleeping on couches, eating foods likes ice cream and pizza and take out, and Tatsuki had been letting her play all sorts of video games. Nel felt like she was forgetting something but it probably wasn't important. There was a proper looking pink haired girl in front of her looking like she was going to start hopping like a bunny rabbit.

Ichigo told her the other day thats what happens when you eat too much sugar.

"NOES! I DUN WANNA BE PINK. ICHIGOOOOOOOOOO!" The girl lit up and walked into the apartment.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is really here?!" While Nel clamored onto Ichigo's lap, Tatsuki walked around the island and hesitantly approached the girl.

"May I help you...?" Something about this kid was familiar to Ichigo. The rosette smiled and bowed.

"I am Aiko, and you're Ichigo Kurosaki, or do you go by Tanimonban now? It doesn't matter I'm just so glad that you're alive!" Tatsuki was giving him a look that clearly meant he had about one minute to explain who just invited herself in.

"Wait a minute. You're the girl that was in the King's Palace."

"Well the Princess to be exact. I'm going to be Queen soon, so we've got a lot of talking. And don't' worry I left those morons called the Royal Guards at home." Looking around the child's face pulled a little, "who are you're friends?"

"I'm Tatsuki Arisawa, friend."

"And this is Neliel. I'm sort of watching after her. What do you want?"

"You. But don't worry you're friends can visit whenever they want!"

---

Hallibel smothered some of the flames that were burning her gigai.

"For the record, Sado, I apologize for this accident." Chad was wondering how on earth driving off of the highway and into a ravine from the airport could be labeled an accident but he was still getting used to be, well, dead.

'Is this how Ichigo felt all those times? It's strange but relieving as well.'

"Do you think they'll wake up soon?" Hallibel was being kind enough to hide his wrecked human body from his sight-it was an odd thing to watch.

"Syazel will be here shortly to get them out of the shells. According to what he's said they are healed and back to normal now, just too comfortable in their bodies. Given a short readjustment time they'll be as they were in a week or so."

"And me?" She stopped and waited for him to continue. "I mean what will I be doing?"

"That should be obvious. You'll be going home." His chest shouldn't have felt tight now. It really wasn't a surprise he was only accepted because of his friendship with Ichigo, who was missing now for while. Why would they want him just hanging around Las Noches anyway now that his job of watching kids was done.

"It's going to be rough getting back to Mexico." Dirt and rocks were kicked aside when she got her footing back on track.

"Mexico? Why aren't you coming with us to Hueco Mundo?" It was okay again. He guessed that they needed somebody as much as he did.

"Sado what are you doing?" He got up from his rock and started hurling the pieces of car down the ravine.

"Let me do it, please? You rest." Even with his odd friends he never imagined he'd be throwing car and fake(and real) body parts off a cliff to impress somebody. Well, maybe Keigo but he was unique in that sense.

Chapter Eight (Jugulators: Deathberries)

"I'm sure the honeymoon will be absolutely precious,"

"TATSUKI, A WORD?!" Ichigo was flushed red and not appreciating his friend sending him off to marry the intruder. Her door slammed and before she decided she had had enough and tossed him off onto the bed.

"Listen here Ichigo this is the answer to the problem's we've got right now. The Princess will be able to turn off the dogs, so use her damnit!" She looked like she was done with the joking manner and got serious.

"I can't do that. The kid thinks I'm going to marry her. And what about..."

"What about Sousuke Aizen? Look, Ichigo, I never knew the guy outside of those classes but that's how I knew you were gay. You never pay attention to teachers like that and he had you at every word." He felt his chest burn and stomach drop. It wasn't like he hadn't realized all that during his time away.

"You don't want to hear this- you don't even know if you were in love with the guy! In maybe two, three days tops you went from being angry at your dad, to angry at the shinigami, and then off to some dimension where who one could reach you!" He had done it. Tatsuki hadn't yelled ta him like this since they were eleven. Ichigo couldn't bring himself to look at her or anything else in the room. There was shoe laying on the floor that offered more comfort than he'd had recently.

"You have missed so many chances because of that man! Orihime, the Rukia girl, if you wanted to at least try for women. I'm sure there are gay shinigami too if you even wanted that. The point is that you haven't tried anything out of your comfort zone! You fought and fought and suffered and now you're getting ready to fight again. Wake up Ichigo, sometimes it's not about fighting." Ichigo's head was pounding and clutching it didn't help any.

"I just can't do it Tatsuki...I can't use someone like that..." and be like Him.

"Fine. Don't use her and treat her like a sister or something but go with her. If you want to pretend its not for you then fine, but get your ass into a position where you can do something and get the noose off of our necks!"

He knew that she was doing something else with all of this. Tatsuki wasn't a person who'd let others take care of her but he had been gone too long to figure out what she was planning. That was wrong. Besides that day in lunch the last time they'd had a heart to heart was after he'd fought Grandfisher.

'Have I really been that distant?'

"I'm going to fix everything, okay?"

"I know you will- don't leave me hanging here okay? Wait til you see what I can do." For a tiny person, she could push him out of a room like Chad could.

"Oh~ Princess Aiko! Ichi here is going with you! You can leave now, as a matter of fact." Did Tatsuki have to sound so cheery? Aiko's eye went obnoxious wide and had tears in them.

"This is wonderful! I won't forget this Arisawa-san! Can Nel come too?" How quickly things changed. Ichigo bit his lip from laughing at Tatsuki's face. Apparently Nel and Aiko had plenty of fun crushing cheetos into the living room carpet.

"I'd love to help, Tatsuki, but hey destiny's calling." She was oddly calm about the orange carpet.

"Eh Urru'll clean it up. I better go tell Ryuuken the news."

"Hey, don't use me as an excuse for you're scandal!"

---

Over Karakura the overcast monotony was broken but a jumbled tear of dark black. Softly at first loud steps could be heard as Grimmjow lazily made his way into the air space of the city. It was the most spiritually active mile anyway, and the diversity showed it. Hot spots like the former Shoten and Kurosaki clinic still had remains of the reiatsu about it while The Quincy's hospital, Don Kanoji's studio and a few other place still had flames in them. Nothing they could do about this though.

"They should be starting any minute now." Grimmjow wished there was something for him to actually do other than babysit the fraccion stationed here. They'd been sending him massages for the past week but he didn't bother reading them. If it was really important they knew to just take care of it themselves. Bitches.

"Hey! You, Arrancar, why are you here? I'm letting a few of you stay but there are way to many here now-please go back." It was a tiny person, maybe coming up to his elbow on her tip toes. She had balls to tell him to get away. He smiled and the shinigami in front of him started to look a little nervous.

"You better put up a fight for this. Try to let me have a little fun won't you!" Her eyes opened and towards their right a blast was heard- one of the fraccion, probably Apache or Il Forte, broke one of the absorbing stones and the pressure started building again.

"Shit!" He watched her run across the roof tops for a bit before it got to him. He blasted a cero just inches from where she landed.

"You're fight is with me now." It was perfect- the shinigami was finally realizing just how fucked over she was going to be.

---

"Baby? What is it?" Chizuru felt that- she's been seeing and hearing things more and more recently, but it was hard to ignore the sudden pressure that seemed to rest on the city. Nemu too, apparently, since she stared out of window without even her shirt on. It was lovely site, but not something she wanted to share.

"C'mon, get dressed and we'll head over to Tatsuki's and..."

"No. Please hand me my phone." Dumbly she passed it over to her girlfriend and watched her rapidly text something out.

"Nemu?"

"It's the Arrncar. They're starting to fight again against the Shinigami. We...well, some of us decided that in light of what the Central 46 is threatening we have to pull our support and make them see how vital we are."

"Tatsuki's not going to like that one bit. Neither is Ishida. We're going over there now. If anything it'll be safer than being alone right?" Chizuru wasn't scared of much- on earth, that is. They needed help for this.

---

"CAAAAAPPPTTAAAAAAIIINN KYORAKU!" The First Division doors slammed upon due to the combined strength of Madarame and Kira, both looking very frazzled and out of breath.

"Sir, permission to speak," The ever polite Kira started before Ikkaku started talking.

"We Need to send immediate support to Karakura! The surveyor is currently engaged in battle and one of the spirit stones has been destroyed." Shunsui blinked and started laughing. It was so funny seeing the former eleventh division member panicking over his own subordinates.

"Oi, Kira bring over those papers. He did but something...

"Ikkaku, you get over here, too." He bumbled over with that stupid walk of his and waited for the reasoning. Shunsui bit his lip and adjusted the position of Ikkaku's head til it was just right. He was a perfect replacement for a desk light!

"CAPTAIN COMMANDER?!" Heh, Kira looked like he was torn between whether to laugh or cry. Shunsui decided it was enough games for now, he was getting tired again.

"Look, Ikkaku, I expected this to happen one day, don't give me that look not this necessarily but something. Although I also expected Kira here to calm you down." Instead of looking flustered the Vice Captain started gripping the request forms and getting paler, injecting a 'but sir!'.

"I tell this to everybody- 'It's a captain's job to have faith and wait' so wait and see how your shinigami handles things." That should tide him over.

"KYORAKU, it's a fucking arrancar and the shinigami is Yuzu Kurosaki, Tanimonban's kid!" As if thinking it would help Kira shoved the paper in front of his face and gave him a puppy dog look.

"...woooooowwww....you really screwed that one up."

Chapter Nine (Jugulators: Grass and Rocks)

If Iba was going to put money on anything, it would be that Kensei could grill anything and certainly tried to do so. Still without a meeting hall the Shinigami Men's Association (and some other guys) were forced to hang out on the roof of the 9th division to act as a diversion for Captain Tanimonban.

Who was loudly telling Captain Komamura stories about his kid's baby years- and was completely unaware that his daughter was facing an arrancar attack right now. Ikkaku and Kira were sent out as well as Yumichika and the Kuchiki to see what all the trouble was. That was a fishy combo if he'd ever seen one. Apparently Yumi had offered his services in helping to get Renji, which was bull crap because Yumichika had already watched someone get molester by a transvestite instead of helping becauseinterupting love was "unbeautiful".

"And here Karin is, playing with her little ducky!" His captain, ever strong, looked like he was about to bolt and take off but orders were order. He missed his friend but Isshin tried to fill the void. They all knew he tried and wished it were only a little less. Karin had to make frequent stops here to get him off of the premises.

"HEY, NO WIMPY KID STORIES. We don't give a fuck. Pork's ready." Kensei had become a very active member of the Men's Association and even managed to bully others into give them some funds. He was still a bit creeped out by Shuuhei's tattoo.

---

"Karin, you know the spot of Vice Captain is still open..." It was an odd game of following the leader, Karin running to Urahara's, Toshiro following, and Jushiro sneaking with the two, wondering what was going on between them.

"Don't want it. I'm doing something with Captain Urahara so you need to beat it. Go make up with Hinamori or something. Hang out with the others." Jushiro didn't like this one bit. For a while really, Karin had been distancing herself from her friend, bluntly telling him to get lost at some points and then disappearing for hours or days.

"Its not as easy as all that! Yuzu is in the human world right now too, and Jinta's on rotation in the Rukongai. Ururu isn't much for chatter either..." Hinamori still wasn't a real talkable topic for the Little Shiro, Matsumoto being an even worse one.

"ARGH! I promise to consider the spot when I get back okay?! Geez you're annoying sometimes." She took off and left Toshiro there looking alone and dejected-again. Didn't she realize he had pretty much shifted his dependence from Matsumoto and Hinamori onto her and the others? Toshiro was retreating into himself again.

Jushiro was going to have a long talk with Urahara about this. But first he needed some backup.

---

She really didn't see why so many people were afraid of the upper districts of the Rukongai. The people here were awfully sweet once you really got to know them. Usually when she came here there were crowds of people waiting to be healed or some food at the very least. The later districts were really neglected and anyone from the Seireitei was treated with some sort of awe. It was really sad.

But there were no crowds today. Even the man whose arm she's healed paled and scrambled away and left the porch of the house she owned. Usually there were orphaned kids staying there as well, she left it unlocked for that reason, but it was like a ghost town. But obviously someone was there, there were foot steps that just slowed down.

"Come with me, woman."

---

More than anything Yuzu wished that her sword would wake up and that if this wasn't a life or death emergency then her carrier as a shinigami was going to be pretty terrible. She wasn't a seated officer and her sword hadn't reveled its name to her, forcing her studies into the other shinigami arts.

None of which were helping right now. Her sandals were really wet from all the rain that started to come down and the arrancar was hot on her trail, ceros landing only inches away from her. Yuzu skidded to a stop trying to bind him, but not much of it worked.

Sooner than she expected there was a fist in her stomach and a very unsuccessful kick to his chin from her. On the ground where she landed her legs started to get soaked too and the blood started diluting in the puddle.

"ARGH!" Yuzu tried to kick his legs out from under him but only managed to propel herself to the other side of the roof and draw her sword out. There were cuts and bruises all over her face and arms, but the worst had to be what she just took in her stomach. The blood was really running down her legs and making a sticky mess.

"You're all the shinigami have to offer? This isn't even amusing for me." Swallowing a gulp of blood she charge right at him, swinging her sword right for his throat. He didn't seem to be making any moves to stop her either.

'.Work.'

The arrancar didn't move and she felt the dead impact of sword on skin shake her arm. The blade didn't go through and just rested on his neck, like grass on a rock. Nothing was piercing him.

"Get it Shinigami? This isn't any fun for me." Faster then she could see his hand was covering most of her face and lifting her to his eye level, flailing proving to be useless.

Her sword still didn't tell her it's name.

---

The royal palace was as empty as Ichigo had seen it the first time, with Aiko giving him and Nel a tour, ending with the throne room he'd last seen in father in. Instead of the young man that had been cowering with fear there was someone so decrepit and withered that he put Yamamoto on his bad days to shame. Simply put he looked older than the dust flaking off of his skin onto the floor.

"Ew, Ichi, whys dat man so wrinkly?" He shrugged and looked at the princess that had disgust written all over her.

"He's just my stupid brother. I let him take the throne because I knew this would happen but I let him have his fun anyway. He's just so weak that he couldn't handle the pressure of being king. Not like you, Ichigo-kun, I'm sure you would have done a much better job than him." Aiko stomped over to the throne and kicked her brother in the shin and sat him up straight.

"It's a little sad about Captain Commander Kyouraku though, he seemed like a cool person."

"What do you mean seemed? He's still alive isn't he?" Ichigo never nor would he ever have much affection for the Soul Society and Shinigami but Kyouraku seemed alright to him. After all he was the one who helped Orihime and the others get out of the jail and saved them.

"Oh, I though you knew. Why do you think Yamamoto and the King died at the same time? Sure the King has to be strong, but the King and Captain Commander are like a shinigami and zanpakto. The Commander helps protect the King and be his strength and is depended on, while the King practically gives the Commander life. When the King dies whoever's in charge, officially, dies as well, like a zanpakto when a shinigami dies. This one isn't going to last long at all."

"So you're just going to sit there and let someone die?!" He was liking this girl less and less each minute. She was a spoiled brat and acted like those shallow girl he'd used to know in school. The ones Tatsuki used to beat up along with their boyfriends and then blame him and Chad.

"But you can take the crown and fix everything! You're so awesome that no one will have a problem with it I'm sure. I've been following everything that you did even after you saved your friend Kuchiki. You've always just...dazzled me. And now you'll be here with me!" Ichigo knew one thing for certain.

This girl was more twisted in the head than he was.

Nel tugged his ear and whispered how she was frightened of the girl.

"Me too, Nel." Aiko turned around from her rearrangement of her brother's robes.

"You said something?"

"Nothing." And there it was. Aiko had taken the crown from off of her brother's head and held it out in front of him, like a child waiting to be praised for a picture. This was something. It wasn't something, it was everything. Everything he'd given up to help Sousuke with nothing in it for himself other than needless protection of his family. Everything that man had wanted was literary being handed over on a silver platter with pewter accents. But did he want it?

The answer came easy when he remembered the world of things that needed to be fixed.

---

When Shunsui left for his nap that afternoon, he was afraid that he wouldn't wake up from this one. His heart hurt, his lungs burned, and the hallways were more disorienting when he was sober instead of drunk. His reiatsu had been bleak and even Nanao was starting to worry about what Lisa knew. Jushiro and Restu gave him those long sympathetic and mournful looks everytime he wobbled by them.

And in his sleep, he felt the change. A feeble little light that was nudged somewhere between himself and his swords was now gone and filled with shadows. Days after Aizen's power collapsed he told Jushiro that it wasn't over from any of them.

But after feeling that Kurosaki kid's reaitsu wake him up, he decided to give them a shot before saying anything more.

"Ohhh Lisa! Go find you're best porn and I'll get the liqueur, we're going to have fun tonight!"

Chapter Ten (Trust is a Net, So full of Holes we're just Praying Now)

Kisuke wanted to laugh and get all of the tension from the room out of there but that wasn't going to happen. Ukitake was dead serious and he'd even roped Yoruichi into helping him crack open his latest scheme.

"Kisuke, you know that no one really minds whatever it is you do with all this stuff, " a wild flip of her hand to the machinery, specifically his gigai table, "but maybe a little more discretion about who you're doing it with is called for?" It was about Karin, then. It started when she started getting an inkling about what had gone on between Isshin and her brother, confirmed by some stupid person mentioning to her Grand Fischer. Although she didn't go off the handle and leave like Ichigo did she changed her name back to Kurosaki and hasn't spoken to her father in years. He was asked to help watch over her and that's what he did. It was certainly before for him to enable her on whatever she wanted to do rather than let her seek help from other places.

"I'm not forcing her to do anything you know. These are all of her ideas."

"Then discourage her! Karin shouldn't be allowed to go traipsing around where there are issues that need to be resolved here! If needed you know we'll order her into retirement or to vice captaincy to keep her here. You know she's one of the only reason's Toshiro is sober and functioning. Why do you insists on using her?" Ukitake was furious over how little seemed to go Toshiro's way, especially with women. He might be a genius and decades old mentally but he was still a child that had already lost his maternal figures and his sister or crush, whatever he thought Hinamori was. He wouldn't let Toshiro lose his best friend too.

"Look, I'll talk to her about it when she gets back from her trip. Didn't she say she'll think about taking the job anyway. Relax you two. Nothing bad's going to happen now." Yoruichi got up and dusted herself off before dragged Ukitake out of the office.

"Fine, we'll leave you alone for now but you owe me some serious us time, you know? We haven't had any fun together in ages. It's like you're keeping a distance like Kurosaki-chan." Ukitake opened his mouth with a hand silencing him without a word in. A few head gestures made him follow her to a courtyard some streets away. Soi Fong kneeled before the Shihouin heir a few seconds later.

"Well what've you got Soi Fong?"

"Kurosaki often disappears inside of those labs of his for hours at a time, two days on max so far as records go. Urahara is constantly accounted for so he is not with her for those endeavors. So far we have not been able to locate where she heads off to. We're also putting a watch on the Shiba household as they may be involved with this somehow." Jushiro was positively floored. Yoruichi had surveillance on Kisuke this entire time?!

"Make sure Central doesn't catch any wind of this. You're dismissed." Soi Fong dashed off only giving him a passing look.

"You've been watching over your own friend like that?" Her hair might be longer and she still might be little out of shape, but Yoruichi was still the hard pressing captain she always was.

"I just don't want him to do something stupid."

---

"FUCKER YOU NUMEROUS WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!" Tesla knew that Apache had a real reason to be so angry. They had only managed to bring down two of the pillars before the shinigami came to stuff them. The captain had already taken out Il Forte, Finder and Avirama were being attacked by the Vice Captains, to various degrees of success. Apache had been helping him with the last leftover, but he had to ditch her promptly before Gimmjow did something incredibly wrong.

"Attention to me, not him!" He dodged the shinigami's kido though is that scream was worth anything she probably got a good bit of Apache in the way.

'Fuck!' There he was, holding Kurosaki's sister hy her head and getting ready to blast her insides open.

"GRIMMJOW WAIT!" It was a time for careless actions and a quick sonido to tackle the girl was the perfect option. All that mattered was getting her away from Grimmjow before he killed he's friend's sister. A dubiously alive friend and technical superior but that didn't matter in these weird guy friendships. Tesla got up and the small thing was alive by the way she was coughing up blood and shivering from all the rain. Laying in a puddle quickly turning redder and more opaque didn't help either. How much blood could a shinigami use?

"The fuck's that about? Why aren't you helping with the damn shinigami over there." He gulped and looked up at Grimmjow. It might have been a weak fight but it was never a good idea to take someone's prey away from them.

"It's Kurosaki! She's Kurosaki's sister, look at the damn eyes!" Well, he couldn't, technically, since the were swollen shut and covered in blood. Grimmjow tried anyway.

"Ya kidding me right? This bitty thing?"

"LET GO OF HER!" It was apparent that the shinigami had gotten rid of the other, no the fraccion, leaving him and Grimmjow, who was grinning like mad.

"Maybe they'll be something worth it now, Gr-" Stark's hand and then the rest of Stark appeared , tugging on their shoulders.

"It's time to leave now. Leave whatever pet you got here Grimmjow."

"I hate you." Still carelessly Grimmjow flung Kurosaki across the roof, leaving a trail of smeared blood where her body skidded.

"Yuzu!" Last thing to see before they were back into the desert were the panicked looks. No person would win if that girl really did bite the bucket.

---

"Yeah, it's over! No damage here or anything. I can rest easy now!" Keigo was in heaven. It wasn't every person that got threatening letters from an undead army telling them to watch their asses. But it seems like they were going to be left alone in light of the arrancars invading Karakura.

"Eh, aren't you happy about this Kanoji?"

"Nuh-uh. They don't give up that easy. Either way they're gunna get us and we're still going to have to fight them off." Mashiro looked down at the floor and started thinking about just how the Central Forty-six would take this. It was only her and Rose left and he didn't speak to them as often as he should, most likely trying to get a normal life out of everything so there was no way of telling how much power he'd lost. The other Vizards that stayed had died already, and not very pleasantly. For her it was almost impossible to get out of her gigai anymore and the ghosts around the city were getting harder to notice. Mashiro felt that she was more or less human at this point, but the question is if Central would agree.

Probably not.

---

"You just need me to fix this?" It was an orb of some sort, given something of relevance by how under security it was. Besides Ulquiorra who'd introduced himself during the walk here, there was also Barragan (who didn't seem to like anyone) and Syazel, watching with rapt interest. The entire process was done in only a few minutes compare to how she'd been healing Kyouraku recently.

"I guess I'll just be going now." Barragan's footsteps thudded on the floor as he marched up to her.

"You will not be leaving until we feel fit. Get her into a room." The single hall emptied out quickly with the old man's leave and Syazel rushing down to the labs- apparently something very important was happening in the walls.

"It will not be a prison, Captain, but you can not leave. At least not until Aizen allows it." Aizen. The man that really started it all was alive and back. But that also meant...

"Ah, so Sado and Ichigo are here too?! I knew we'd all be together again someday. And it's Orihime Inoue, you know." The walls were blank, the people quiet and irritable, but she got the feeling she'd really like it here.

---

There she was just lounging on his sofa as if she owned the office. He didn't mind though since she didn't make herself a nuisance and always waited for him to finish with the paperwork until addressing him.

Today was certainly going to be different though.

"Good afternoon." It was an unfamiliar form of affection as he leaned over the couch and placed a kiss right on her hairline, one that shocked her out of the magazine she was reading. "How did you get in?"

"Your secretary likes me and noticed that you've been a lot less pissy since I've been around." Tatsuki saw her reflection in Ryuuken's glasses and smirked. She was doing something right if he wouldn't let her see his eyes.

"Amazing that, what people do to ignore certain things. I believe she has deluded herself into thinking that you're going to be my daughter in law."

"Want to prove her wrong?" It was a coy smile and a cocked eyebrow that made him realize he was enjoying this too much. But just because his son was a fool, a blind one at that, didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself.

"Well it is wrong to deceive people." A soft umph and Tatsuki pulled him onto her, the material of the couch groaning from disuses over the years. The door was locked anyway and the hospital should be too loud for most of the sounds to leave the room. Or not, neither of them really cared.


	3. Shoving

Title: Undermining the Peace

Pairings: Aizen/Ichigo and others

Rating: PG13

Warning: Yaoi, some violence. OC alert.

Summary: Consequences don't end after just a few days. After all, people can never be happy when their loyalties are divided by time, space, and worlds.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or anything affiliated with it

Chapter Eleven (Infirming Effort)

"_Is there really a reason why we have to have all of Gin's doodles painted over? I mean us personally?" Sousuke watched Ichigo fiddle with the brush and cans of white paint._

"_It's really so it doesn't spread. Besides his dislike of noble houses, like the Kuchiki, I've always assumed he was a little jealous over their artistic ability." He knew it would come to this. Ichigo had a look of utter bafflement, mouthing the last words he'd said. In the hallways they had just entered was a mural of bunnies, foxes, bears, and little fish._

"_It's worse then hers."_

"_I know. We can't let the arrancar get any ideas. Could you imagine Grimmjow finding his artistic side?" They repainted for the better part of that day_.

...

"_You know, you're a little strange."_

"_I don't know what you mean."_

"_I understand that I like American and British stuff too, but what's with your obsession with Superman?" It was all in a box- collectables and comics from Superman's early days, including the ashes from the burnt copy of "Superman At Earth's End". Sousuke still wouldn't let him read it._

"_It's all about the philosophy..."_

"_I don't care what kind of bullshit you're pulling, you're just a big fanboy."_

...

_Sousuke stopped his pacing when he heard Rangiku and Ichigo walking through the room, quickly hiding himself. Ichigo was mad over something and this was an opportunity to find out._

"_You're in love with him right? At the very least you wouldn't react that way in you weren't." She had her arm draped around him but that was perfectly safe._

"_No! I mean, just ah. We don't talk about shit like that. I'd feel pretty stupid saying something like that to him."_

"_Ichigo! Things like that shouldn't be awkward! Just promise you'll say it as you feel it. Don't be a cold prick about it you know, or you'll be no better off then Byakuya!"_

"_But Hey, Rangiku-" Sousuke watched her stop and grab Ichigo for his full attention._

"_It's love or nothing sometimes Ichigo. Don't do something stupid like let it go...or pretend that its there. Neither one is good and I hope you find out soon."_

...

Sousuke opened his eyes and felt the gunk stay on them. He couldn't have been asleep that long, right? Dimly there were memories of Mexico and of being a child that were making him dizzy and a soft cough from the side brought his attention outward.

"Good morning Aizen-sama. It has been a while." Lounging in a chair was Stark, while Syazel tended to Gin and Rangiku in a few beds over.

'_Where is Ichigo_?'

"A while then. From the lack of damages that are around we've been asleep for a substantial amount of time." Stark shook his head and sighed.

"Not asleep. You, Ichimaru and Matsumoto have been in gigai's with most of your memory blocked-by your own will, not ours, with Yasutora in Mexico. He died on the trip back as well."

"You seem to be glossing over some very important information Stark." Sousuke watched his Espada tense a little and look away. Syazel still wasn't saying a word but the others were starting to look a little more awake and alive.

"Grimmjow's stronger after he ate part of that Vasto Lorde. We're missing quite a few numbers...that woman that was a part of The Ryoka is here. A little against her will but she doesn't seem to mind it all that much."

"Again, something very important Stark."

"Some of the fraccion died in the last attempt at attacking Karakura. According to that spy you left with the shinigami the Central Forty-Six is running again and causing a great disruption for the Royal Houses, the enlisted, and for the real world." He stopped looking at the other and watched Stark brazenly ignore who was missing.

'_He's mad and I'm not happy. Why isn't Ichigo here?_' That tug in his stomach started weighing more and more and he wondered if something had been put inside of him. It was all psychological of course.

He wasn't even going to entertain the idea of the other option.

---

"Okay, you know the orders! Search the area for any individuals with spiritual energy of any sort! Mahiko, Tasame you take the Western and Southern sides while Orumi and I take the others." Yagami had been put in charge of the some of the lower districts to supervise for spiritual power, like her commander at the Central Forty-Six had ordered. She hadn't intended on joining that private army but they offered a better position than just being a nameless rank and file shinigami.

The mission wasn't even that extreme to cause hazards. It wasn't like the Quincy massacre that the Shinigami had done centuries ago because they were giving these people a choice. There were rumors that the Special Forces had their own prison for who they decided were dangerous.

"Yagami, I found a couple." It was a group of kids, all dirty and mangy looking. Too often at times it was children that had reiatsu in them than adults. Most starved to death before reaching their prime- unless someone intervened.

"Hey kids! You know that hunger you're feeling? Its because you've got spiritual powers." Just like she was instructed she let it sink in.

"Orumi and I are here to offer you enrollment to the shinigami acadamy."

Pbluch. The brats spit on her!

"We don't want to go your stupid shinigami academy You're a bunch of assholes!" She wiped the phlegm off of her face and looked over at Orumi, who shrugged. This was always the worst part of the job.

"Last chance kids." The little one started screaming again, causing a scene.

"Nothing to be done about it then." It took very little work to kill the kids and dispose of the bodies.

"It's always sad seeing them die, isn't it? But its for their own good. If they can't even be responsible for their own powers then maybe in the next lifetime they will."

"Very true. You know that's one of the reason Central's doing this? They think the ryoka form a few years back and the miscreants still living there were vagrant shinigami and trash that never went through proper channels? It's sad but somebody has to take responsibility." They walked a little further, trying to find anybody else in the crowd of people.

"It's not all terrible, Yagami, sometimes they're thrilled to be given that ticket."

"Hope it happens more often then."

---

Rukia looked over at the girl in the bed sheets that just came out of surgery. They'd managed to get rid of most of the arrancar there but Yuzu was in critical condition and seriously wounded.

"She'll be fine." She had been lucky to get decent Vice Captains through all this. Ayesegawa came from the 11th and rarely recoiled at the sight of bloodshed like this. The others were not as happy. The Lady Tanimonban was here, looking as strict as ever with her grey hair pulled back ornately and pattern kimono.

"Isshin this mockery has gone on long enough. You will pull her out of the shinigami or I will petition for her removal."

"Mother this is here choice..."

"No it is not! You've already lost a son strong enough to be a proper heir and your other daughter has denounced herself completely. She lives with the Shibas! At least let this one live correctly." Ikkaku had enough and Isshin never answered, just kept looking at how broken Yuzu was.

"Hey lady! Its not your gad damn choice who fights and who doesn't." Cold brown eyes made him shiver and she walked over to her grandchild's side. Rukia noticed that she softened even a little bit. Tanimonban did really care for their family, even if they were too harsh to show it.

"Does this look like a shinigami to you? A child with broken ribs, smashed skull, and nearly dead? Isshin I'm telling you to pull her out and keep her safe before you lose another child." Rukia felt a hand on her shoulder- Ayesegawa was pulling her out.

"Come on, we need to give them some privacy. You did the best you could. She's a Kurosaki after all, she'll be fine in the end."

It still wasn't enough though. She kept dragging people down and was finally able to help somebody. Ichigo would be unbelievably pissed if he ever found out what happened to his sister.

'_And where is Karin?_'

---

"Ken-chan, this guy's got something to say to you." The 11th division took more rotations out in the Rukongai than any other, mostly cause they did like their home as wrecked up as it was. There was a little pissant in front of him that could barely walk with the limp his legs was giving him.

Picked a fight with the wrong guy.

"Captain Zaraki? The last Captain to come here, you know, the woman, was taken by something like a hollow." He was torn.

Fights were bound to start up again now but...

"Ken? What's the matter? Aren't you worried about captain Bobbies?" He was not going to go looking for people again.

Chapter Twelve ( Little People)

"_Yous knows where Ichigo is?" By his knee was the baby arrancar, Neliel, put back into proper clothes other then the sack she'd been wearing. Her number was gone now but she did fit into the Espada, or would at least when she grew up again._

"_Yes. He is with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looking for more hollows to join us here." The entire throne room was empty save for the two of them, when Neliel flopped down onto the floor next to the seat._

"_Cans I stay here? Dis is where Ichigo's gunna come foist."_

"_It is quiet here. We'll wait for him together then?"_

...

"_The fuck is the matter with you!" Sousuke saw Neliel's helmet peek out from the corner of the room shaking violently. And a very sore bottom._

"_It is not a liberty for you to discuss. As affectionate as you are to the girl she is one of my arrancar and has to be punished for what she causes." He knew it was an accident, mostly fueled by fear from Yammy, but she had spilled tea over all of the plans and proceeded to argue back that it wasn't her fault._

"_She's just a baby you asshole! The papers weren't even damaged just a little wet. No, you don't mess with kids like that." He should be grateful he waited to give the girl her punishment in privacy rather then spank her in front of the crowd. If she acted like a child she would be treated as such._

"_Do not continue to speak to me like that Ichigo." Lover or not, Ichigo had to learn something too. Like he did with Grimmjow he forced his power onto the boy and watched him falter in his stance._

"_Fuck you!" Ichigo ran out while grabbing his arrancar. A few minutes later he could see the two of them running through the desert, her brothers following them. The room was jarring to stay in, so he didn't._

...

_Sousuke watched the canteen fill with people, especially the child sititng next to Loly and Menoly, two of his more vicious soldiers._

"_Nu-uh. I gots three bruders and a dad!" Tears welled up in her eyes from Loly's nose flick._

"_We don't have any family's here you brat. If anything you should consider Aizen-sama your father since he created you and even, even if you are a worthless baby." As small as her impossibly big eyes could go, Neliel stared at the two girls laughing at her._

"_S-shut up! Ichigo's a great dad!" He flashstepped to the table and waited for them to notice him. The older two sat straighter and shut their mouths as Neliel turned around._

"_Good morning Neliel. I'm a little curious. If Ichigo's your father then what am I?" He hadn't had anything to eat yet and snatched the apple off of her plate. She never ate fruits that early in the morning anyway._

"_Dunno. Maybe an Uncle or sometin but it doesn't really matter." Dismissed. By a baby._

_Just what has Ichigo been teaching this girl to do?!_

...

"Erm...Aizen-sama?" The day dream ended as the remaining desert brothers crowded together at the floor before his throne. It might just be an after effect of being lost for so long, but these strolls down to the past were quickly becoming inconvenient.

"Yes, Pesche?" The other shoved him foreward and he promptly burst into tears.

"Nel never came back! She was in karakura during the attack and was missing even days before that, Aizen-sama! How can we find her!" Neliel was missing. Sousuke smiled and they seemed to untense.

"The girl is dead. You will return to your number positions instead of being a fraccion. Please, escort yourselves somewhere else." It was such a sweet smile and it was even better seeing someone else world crash down. That worm started bawling while the fat one cried. Pesche just walked towards the door like a death march.

Neliel was missing, probably dead. Just one more thing Ichigo would never forgive him for. He knew with certainly that Ichigo was alive- Kyoka Suigetsu could confirm that- but lost somewhere.

The room, he thought before slipping into daydreams again, has the same feeling again.

---

"Ah, Momo, you got your seat back!" Izuru beamed at his long time crush as she slide energetically into the meeting room. Sure he may have never acted on it and distance did have a factor, but she still made him feel a little dizzy always.

"Of course I did. The fifth division is going to get its butt into shape again!" And there she went, walking right by him to the girls.

"Ignored again, eh Kira?' Renji started laughing at him. He knew full well about the crush. "Didn't Ikkaku beat a backbone into you for this reason?"

"I wouldn't be one to talk, Renji, because at least Kira here is brave enough to talk to his desire. You ran away for fifty years, isn't that correct?" Just as slyly as Renji had, Ayesegawa popped behind him and made the red head jump.

"Good morning Yumichika, any news about the missing people?" Along with Captain Inoue, Karin Kurosaki had gone missing, as well as several dozen people in the Rukongai. Some of the higher ups had been whispering about it being a repeat of something that had happened a century ago.

"Morning to you too Izuru. I think that's what the meeting is about today- too early in my opinion. I had quiet the evening with a Miss Kuchiki last night. She's a real feisty one." Kira luaghed at Renji's red face. No one could beat Yumichika in baiting people.

"Now for the first order of Business." Nanao Kuchiki was still running the meetings even if she was.. Err.. Slightly over populated if you could understand. Yachiru thought it was awesome. Every male in the room dreaded it.

---

Shunsui found Hitsugaya sitting on the roof of his division office in the middle of the night looking grumpy. So there was absolutely no indication of his mood. Without a word he walked over to the kid and offered him a cup followed by a wordless toast.

"This isn't sake." He looked pissed.

"Of course not! Not everybody can pull off being drunk all the time- not even me!" Again with the silent treatment from the brat.

"Look, I came here because Jushiro thought he needed back up in making sure you didn't become a drunk that decided his fantasies were better then reality." The cup broke in the kid's hand and he finally started yelling.

"I did not create a damn fantasy!"

" You completely forgot about Matsumoto and Ichimaru and temporarily even forgot you were a shinigami. Its called being depressed and a kid like you never dealt with it. Now its happening again, and I know because the strong sake is being sold out." Hitsugaya went silent again and fiddle with one of the loose tiles in front of him.

"I'm not going to drink like that okay?"

"Tch. Why am I going to believe that?"

"I don't want to forget my friends. Especially Kurosaki. I just want to know if she's safe or not by now. I think...that I messed up her attention with making her think about a new seat." Normally he would take this opportunity to tease the little brat about his first crush (and not a very good choice in the puppy love department either) but Karin wasn't a crush. She was his best friend from sparring, to eating, to picking on jerks that tried to treat them like children. He was guilty.

"They come back Toshiro. They do come back." He looked like a kid very much then. It was interrupted.

Crack.

"Bitch. You said you were going out for a sandwich three hours ago and I find you here drinking with one of the Captains?!" Ah, his Lisa. Shunsui smiled at the startled kid through and watched the sky move passed his one non-swollen eye.

"They come back. May take a little while but they always come back."

---

Tatsuki was annoyed. It was two AM and Uryu decided that he had to lecture her about why she was coming home so late. But it was so incredible. Ryuuken always had a way to make her feel like a girl when most other boys were too scared to.

"You need to be more responsible. Are you listening to me?!" She wasn't. Tatsuki couldn't let her roommate see the Quincy cross under her dress. Nothing could ruin her night!

"Aww is someone jealous? C'mere and give mommy a kiss."

"Just how drunk are you?" Tatsuki laughed and pulled him into a headlock, just to ruffle his hair. She had wanted everything from Uryu, but found it all in his dad. Didn't bother her though.

She was getting married!

Chapter Thirteen (Stash Away)

"_You look tired today." He watch Ichigo collapse into the white pillow on Sousuke's bed. The boy insisted that they not simply share the same room-something about embarrassing._

"_Fought Grimmjow, the prick. The after lunch Don Panini went after me and then Grimmjow wanted to fight again. Ulquoirra's just creepy. That Barragan guy is the worst though. He keeps calling me names like I don't hear them."_

"_It's a simple reaction. They don't think your strong enough." Sousuke waited for the freak out but it was quiet._

"_I don't hear the hollow's voice anymore but I don't hear Zangetsu's either."_

"_You're a hybrid. Probably the only perfect one without seems. They'll get used to you eventually."_

"_Bah. You'd think geta-boushi would have said something about that."_

...

_He looked over at the table after he made sure his face was as passe as it should be. Ichigo was remarkably asexual, even towards him, so he probably wasn't one to trifle others. He still didn't like how close Grimmjow was hovering over his shoulder, trying to see the cards in his hand._

_Gin looked over and smirked, waggling an eyebrow over to how close the two were. After their rough patch at the beginning, Grimmjow and Ichigo proved to be great friends, mostly bloody ones._

"_Tch. Useless games and distractions."_

"_You have something on your mind, Barragan?" The aged Espada looked over at him and barked out more then spoke._

"_It is degrading enough to follow a shinigami in general, and catering to pets is something I will not be encouraging my fraccion to do. Not going to myself either."_

"_And you don't wish to be more cautious with your words?" Before Barragan answered the end of the table groaned, Grimmjow casually flinging her arm around Ichigo, in efforts to get away from Cirucci._

_It was a useless game and a distraction._

...

_It was midday by the time Sousuke realized that they hadn't had sex in over a month. It was also something he wouldn't question. Whatever the answer may be would probably ruin something around them so maybe absteince was their best bet._

_Ichigo walked into their room then with a grin on his face._

_He did not destroy Karakura for him, accepted him without either question or warning, and even opened his bed. Was a little outwardly affection too much to ask for? He was the exact opposite of Hinamori, who would have taken whatever chance she could to hug or cuddle next to someone._

"_Hey Sousuke, I'm going out on an expedition. I'll see you in a few days?" They were almost entirely independent from each other, two separate lines that barely interacted anymore. Everything was extraordinarily acceptable but far from the remarkable that he'd hoped._

"_Have fun."_

_He'd been bored a great many times in the Soul Society but never like this._

'_Turn around Ichigo, turn around.' Not a chance._

...

_Sousuke was very irritated. Maybe being bored with something was that terrible. If it meant not being dragged through the desert, past even the farther outposts of Las Noches._

_For a tree._

"_Shut up! It's not like the other trees, it's real!" An arm snuck around his waist and pulled them both down into the sand. Ichigo's head was on his shoulder- the closest they'd been in such a long time._

"_Sou? I. I don't know what Heuco Mundo was like before, but still its your world and everything." While he rambled for words, Aizen kept his arms down casually, letting Ichigo rest against him instead of on him._

"_...you know what I mean? I guess what I'm trying to say is that, since I've been here the rain's stopped. Like a desert." And there is was. Something can grow out of harshness and neglect, like the stupid tree Ichigo brought him here to see_.

...

"It is a pleasure to see all of you again. We've spent enough time resting, I believe, so lets finish what has began." There were a lot of empty places in the hall, like where Tousen or Ichigo might have stood. The weaker Espada that had died. The Inoue girl only took up on seat and that was an assuming at best. Neliel's child seat was gone. A great many of the fraccion had been dismissed or killed recently. The Privions held their pride and stood in the back of the room even when they knew they were not allowed to hear this. Maybe they'd attempt to earn their spots back.

'Highly unlikely, especially after this. The Espada might have been mine but the Privions were all Ichigo's.' He was the only one willing to listen to them. Gin knew about the plan and looked displeased. Rangiku was even glaring at him from her seat, fingers running along the side of her cup.

"We will begin simply. Certain conditions have been changed and new circumstances are allowing for a second chance. In two weeks time we will be eradicating Karakura town to create the King's Key. Are there any objections?" Rangiku's frown pulled even more while Inoue looked quite horrified. He didn't see Gin's reaction, but several of the arrancar looked like they were bursting.

"Barragan I'll leave that to you. Take who you'll need. Stark, your orders have not changed since last time. And Grimmjow..." He looked up, startled. He was never given specific missions.

"That shinigami you attacked? Finish her." That seemed to break the line.

"Captain Aizen that is enough!"

"Keep your tongue Gin. You may go and prepare yourselves." Chad gave a long glance at the time, and Hallibel nodded while Ulquiorra pulled Inoue out of the room, looking very pale.

"Gin, I'm leaving you in charge for a while. Best of luck to you both, " he nodded his head to Rangiku, "I have somewhere to be for a while. Make sure everybody knows their jobs."

---

It would be Thirteen Days before anybody saw Sousuke Aizen again.

---

"Alright people! We're taking a leave from the Rukongai Purification and heading into the human world, specifically the regions with spiritual activity. Remember this, they have a choice to either join up or get purged into their next life. Most that choose death will automatically go to the Rukongai as a spirit. Some might linger, we have no idea since people never had these powers. Uhh what else.. Oh! If they can't see you but still register as spiritually active, let them be. Central doesn't want another Sodom, got it?"

There were a hundred of them standing there waiting to get through to the real world. It had been a very under wraps thing, because the Gotei 13 might feel that their toes were begin stepped on.

"Red Team, stay behind!"

The Red Team was special. They didn't just have no place to go- they had actually made it into the 20th seats or higher but choose to join. They were the personal team's elite and acted like it.

"Remember, your targets know that your coming for them. Expect to kill them and if needed, destroy their spiritual powers entirely. One less solider is better then a rebel. Dismissed."

---

"This is the last time I'm telling you brat, get away!"

"But ICHI-GO! When are you going to marry me?!" Ichigo loved kids. More then most people he dealt with, but this Aiko was chewing on the last nerve she'd broken weeks ago. She kept blabbering on how he was supposed to marry her like a fairy tale.

"You want to be a Princess? Fine." Pink hair curtains around them and up all the stairs to one room, filled with her toys and a bed.

"Stay in here and wait for a prince charming to come get you then. It's not me." For a minute Ichigo felt horrible- the girl looked like her entire life had just crushed around her. He'd listened to some of her stories and knew she was probably more lonely then anybody should be. The King's Realm was as isolated as it could possibly be and with the attack from nearly eight years ago it had only been her and her brother left. Or her 23rd cousin, she wasn't sure. Everyone had last maybe 40 years with her, leaving her alone again and again.

He'd find her a friend or something. Maybe if she lost that spoiled attitude Karin and Yuzu would deal with her.

"Itsygo! People are moving." The King monitored everything. The movements throughout Hueco Mundo, Hell, the Human World, Spirit World, all of it.

"Where are they going Nel?"

"Dey're in Karakura." I guess it was time to start fixing things.

"I need to get Kyouraku in here now, don't I?"

Chapter Fourteen (Blastic)

"Well, what are you doing here?" There were maybe half a dozen people Kisuke expected to pay him a visit in the middle of the night, Sousuke Aizen wasn't one of them. He really wanted to kill him where he stood but there was a small problem standing in his way.

"I simply thought it would be best to return one of your students to you. You couldn't imagine the mess she was in." Karin's eyes weren't quite closed but she clearly wasn't there. Aizen was holding the girl close to him with his hands no where near his sword while Benihime was tapping on the floor.

"If I kill you now I need to leave enough pieces for yo to be identified correctly this time. Or I should just call Shinji back- he's been fully pardoned you know." Aizen grabbed Karin tighter.

"This one is Karin, right? Ichigo's told me a lot about her and Yuzu. My coming here will have no benfit for me. If you have to send a child to keep looking for her brother in hell you do not have him here either. So, Urakara-sensei, where is Ichigo."

---

Byakuya was agitated. Renji had spent the past three days stalking his house and waiting for Rukia to walk with to her division. Nanao had lost control of her temper not once but twice (he wondered if the baby was going to be a girl with all the mood swings) in the night. Rukia was disappearing too, either with her Vice Captain or to Yuzu's bedside.

He was grateful that Hisana's only family was Rukia, becuase the Captain Commander and Lisa were more then enough to deal with.

"Captain Kuchiki, sir, I uh.."

"Speak what you have to say or find someone that can."

"Sir, most of the Division is ignoring the orders to help protect earth from the Central 46. They're attacking the districts in the Rukongai."

"How many?" When there was no answer he asked again.

"It's umm. You, me, and Abarai sir."

---

"What's all the commotion over there?" Ikkaku and Kira saw the smoking rising from the fifth division and hurried over , stopping in front of the barrier that had been set up.

"Are we being attacked?"

"No clue. Where's the Hinamori girl or Isshin?" Kira looked around and saw her fighting against some of the shinigami in the area, Isshin not far away from her.

"ISSHIN! What's going on?" The man nodded to his newly reinstated Vice Captain, who dashed out of the battle and to them. She was very rumpled and looked like she was leaving some of her subordinates to burn more then she was. Her little demotion had done nothing to curb her brute strength.

"Captain Madarame, most of the unranked shinigami forces have basicly neglected their duty and listen only to the Central 46. We don't know if this is another conspiracy or not but so far the only Divisions not involved are yours, Captain Zaraki's, Captain Unohana's, and the former Inoue's 12th. Mostly because they don't know how to mobilize."

"Shit anything else? Izuru why the hell don't you know this?"

"Becuase you were afraid that you were cursed and had me-" Ikkaku waved him off. Kurosaki had cursed him somehow for getting his sister hurt. Every time some said the name "Yuzu" something feel on his head.

"Worse yet Captain Kyouraku's been summoned by the King and has been missing. The forces that escaped these barriers are out killing anyone with even a trace of spiritual pressure in the Rukongai. Captain Kenpachi is already out there trying to curb it."

"Right. Get back to your Captain. Izuru, c'mon we've got to see who made it out there and who didn't."

---

Toshiro thought he knew what pissed was, but then the whole riot happened. He didn't see any reason to stay with his division given that they all decided to align themselves with the 46. He's just locked them in and left for the districts, hoping to be of some use there. Most of the Captains were busy defending the inside of the Seireitei and the few men and women that stayed loyal. It wasn't a matter of skill but since there were only so many ranked shinigami it was like a mass of people rioting.

The five Ryoka had easily done as much damage but this was an internal affair. This was a matter of nobody actually trusting him or even sticking close by.

Hinamori left dozens of times. His sempais Aizen and Ichimaru left. The Matsumoto women left. His temporary vice captain's left. Karin left. Why should his men be any different?

"Sit Upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru." The defecters in the first district were easy to take care of- he wasn't planning on sparing any lives that day. The smell of fire bothered him though.

His house was on fire. His house was on fire. The house were he, Momo, and their grandmother lived was on fire.

---

"Ah, Itsygo, he's here!" The throne room was still very empty with only two chairs in it- the throne and the one for the guest. Ichigo was on the floor. It still bothered him to even think of sitting in the chair of the man that he'd killed so the floor was fine.

"And how is our new King doing today?" Ichigo liked this guy. He seemed pretty easy going and from what he heard, he was the one who helped Orihime stay safe. Like he had both compassion and some common sense, something he noticed dead people seemed to lack.

"Don't call me that, it's Ichigo. And I guess I need your advice on something."

"What could the personw ith the most power in the whole universe want my advice on. If the rumors are true you don't even like women."

"Sh-shut up! It's not about that!" Nope. He was just like the rest of them. "What are you going to do about the massacre? They're attacking Karakura you know."

"Well before I was called away I told everybody to try and contain it. Karakura is the last place we're worried about. They want purism back. No more grey lines, just clear cut whose dead and all that."

Ichigo had been wondering something for a few days now and Kyouraku just brought it up.

"Does it have to be separated?" The older man sighed and fussed with his hat.

"Hollows and their world was a mistake because shinigami weren't around. Hell came later when death was beyond help. Everything eventually separated because it was supposed to be that way. Even if everything were to unite, eventually the world would try to rearrange themselves back to how it was. Making one universe and keeping it like that is beyond even your powers."

"Thanks..." Nel was keeping miraculously quite and payed close attention to the man when he talked.

"So, King Ichigo, what do you think I should do, if we're trading advice." Ichigo didn't know if what he was going to do would work but the man helped him. He was entitled to something.

"Go and be with your family or whatever you have. It may get messy." Kyouraku smiled and left towards the way back.

"Ah, I know its none of my business, but aren't there a few people you'd rather be with? My apologies- it was out of bounds." He left the room and Nel pattered over to his lap.

"Yous still miss Aizen don'tcha? I wish the odders were here too." He stood up and took a deep breath.

If there was one thing he could do properly it was cause havoc and chaos.

---

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE'S DEAD?!" Karakura was in anarchy and it was doomsday, apparently. Some weird ass shinigami had been attacking everything with a spiritual pulse, even full buildings. Everyone that knew what was really going on went to the meeting place, like some community watch. Only to find the hospital in pieces. The nurse tatsuki was chooking looked very nervous.

"T-the main building that collapsed was a part of his office. They're all crush under there, no survivors. You, ah, wish to tell Ishida-san's son?" Don Kanoji, Keigo, and Mashiro were holding Tatsuki back while Uryu sat on one of the make shift benches in a daze.

"Baby? Are they coming?" She couldn't help but hate how useless she was. Sure she could finally see spirits but that didn't mean she could help. Or do anything but let Nemu hug her in the broken lobby of a former hospital. The shinigami had already gotten to Rose with Keigo's group barely making it out.

She looked over at her friend who had finally given up on abusing everybody, just staring at the floor. Another kido blast could be heard as well as sirens- most people thought it was a terrorist attack of some sort. Nemu's grip on her tightened.

"Hollows. They're here now." Mashiro was finally out of her gigai but still weak, while Kiego was shaking the others up.

"No guys you can't stop now! Tatsuki, you and Ishida have to help! TATSUKI!"


	4. Dissolve

Title: Undermining the Peace

Pairings: Aizen/Ichigo and others

Rating: PG13

Warning: Yaoi, some violence. OC alert.

Summary: Consequences don't end after just a few days. After all, people can never be happy when their loyalties are divided by time, space, and worlds.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or anything affiliated with it

---

Chapter Fifteen (The Last Microwaveable Minute)

"Hey Stark aren't we supposed to be screwing people up in the Seireitei?" Lillinette looked over the from the highest point overlooking the whole world of the shinigami. Stark smiled broadly and rested against the wall.

"Are you listening to me? Get off your lazy ass and do what you're supposed to do!"

"Oh no. It would be irresponsible of me. Those shinigami down there are making their own messes. Why, if we interfered we might actually unite them together. The best thing we could do is wait."

Stark couldn't imagine a more perfect day. Even watching Grimmjow struggle with whether or not he would actually kill little Kurosaki wasn't annoying. All he had to do was lay down and rest while everyone else put it all together.

"You suck."

---

Tetsu screamed when he saw his leg. The rumors about Karakura being a haunted place had to be true but it wasn't time to think about that. He wasn't in the best of shape but how did his leg go from supporting him to shriveled like an old man's, just ready to break?!

It wasn't just him but everyone else around the street. All the exits out of the city were crushed and buildings were going down everywhere. Now people's bodies were decaying in front of them. Some people were just dropping dead after talking to thin air.

He looked up and saw a glinting crown onto of a skull and shadow, some figures in white not to far after and shredding through people.

"AH AH!"

---

The fire was out but Toshiro was far from being okay. His grandma hadn't made it out of the house in time but remained relatively unburnt. It was really only her left side that had scorch marks on them- nothing that couldn't be carefully brushed off. Far beyond his senses there was somebody creeping up behind him.

"Shoot to Kill." He looked up just in time to see some woman drop kicking the attacker behind him with Ichimaru's sword retreating. If he found out this man was responsible for any for any of this!

"Ichimaru! What do you think you're" Instead of seeing the traitor, all he saw was a mass of breasts, crushing his face into them.

"OH CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA YOU'VE GROWN AT LEAST TWO INCHES! Hmm, all those naps must be paying off for something, eh? Oh! Or is it girl?! Are you going through puberty?" The blonde woman pulled back.

She had a very happy open face and seemed like she was waiting for him to do something.

"Hey Ran, that'll have ta wait a while. We've got an old friend of ours here and Captain's got his own problems."

This was Matsumoto?! Toshiro watched with his mouth agape at the two taking on any of the rogue shinigami (like themselves but not) that tried attack civilians.

"KEN-CHAN LOOK WHOSE HERE!" Another stupid person had their blood sloshed over the streets. The form of Kenpachi loomed over the street, people giving him a great deal of space to walk by.

"We're you guys supposed to be dead?" Ichimaru hopped along towards the other captain- they'd gotten along very well from what he could remember, being that they had similar tastes. Matsumoto's arm was still around him, but was looking at the burnt house.

"It'll be okay, Captain. Didn't mean to leave you like that, but you'll forgive me, right? Now come on, we've got to stop these crazies."

"Matsumoto, you escaped death and returned to the place that wants you dead to fight people that don't know you exist. You call that a priority?!" The background noise answered all of them. One or two fo the buildings collapsed and the trio's laughter were head all through the section like some insane game of jacks.

"It's so great to be home!"

---

"I still think you are all completely over reacting. Oh? No more back up for this?" Sousuke sighed and moved out of the way of Benihime's attack.

"Screw you AIZEN!" Killing them would be counter point to what he was trying to do, but combating Urahara, his former Captain and Urahara's old Vice Captain was time consuming.

"Hyapporankan." The glass rods overwhelmed Hiyori, pushing her back into the building.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" He carefully switched his stance and leaned over the two blades attacking him.

"Sho." It was a dangerous place to be, between Hirako and Urahara as it was debatable over who hated him more.

'So Ichigo is truly not in the Soul Society. Something like this would have drawn him one way or another.'

Aizen smirked and looked straight ahead at the girl struggling to get out of the bars. There were only two dimensions left- and his Espada were already working on one.

---

It was just the four of them traveling down to earth (well the four of them that weren't planning on mass destruction and death) to find some old friends.

"Inoue they're not going to die in this so easily." She nodded and waved to Chad and the others before flash stepping to the hospital. It wasn't anyone's fault that her and Tatsuki's friendship was so strained but they did send letters every now and then. She had told her all about her relationship with the older Ishida so it would make sense for them to be at the hospital.

"Sado, are you sure she knows where's she's going?" Ulquiorra ran ahead to make sure the woman wouldn't get too damaged, not trusting that she was really a captain, but Hallibel had some concerns.

"Ichimaru said we had to help find Ichigo. He probably visited her at some point so one of our old friends must have noticed him. It's kind of hard not to."

The other two made it to the hospital without any interference- Barragan was keeping all of the underlings busy with extermination. There was rubble and sirens everywhere but something was odd and distorted somehow. Shapes seemed almost holographic, pale and multicolored versions on one another laying just out side of the lines. It had quiet the dizzying effect.

"Hallibel, do you see that?" It was over then but the same uneasiness rested around them. There was something wrong about the ground they were on.

"It's not an arrancar and I doubt it's a shinigami." She didn't say anything about him waiting outside with her and Ulquiorra, rather than go and greet his human friends again. They did come out.

"SADO~!" The group looked a bit beaten but overall okay. Two of them lingered behind just staring and moving very mutely. Inoue was beaming.

"Why are you smiling woman, this is all going to be destroyed."

"Ah, I know. But besides Kurosaki-kun, we're all together again! I knew we would be." She shared a look with the 4th and agreed. She was crazy.

"What's that?!" A green haired girl climbed over another human's shoulder to look out at the city.

The colors and shapes were going static again.

Chapter Sixteen ( Who's a Wise Man?)

"Shunsui, I love you. Have for many, many years. You've taken care of Nanao and made sure your division was kept right."

Lisa pulled her sword out and watched as her lover hide behind his very pregnant vice captain.

"But I swear that if you don't let me go and kill Aizen, I'LL KILL YOU!" Shunsui thought she might have been over exaggerating a bit. Sure Aizen ruined her life for many years, dragged them apart, tried world domination...but they were together now, right?

"Nanao-chan, tell Lisa how silly she's being." She pinned him with a glare that she'd learned from her.

" Captain Kyouraku I suggest you own up to why you've down this." She gestured around the room. After his meeting with Good Ole King Ichigo, he'd kidnaped the two and dragged them down into the sub-sub basement of the 8th Division, where he used to hide his really good sake.

"The King said so." He nodded to affirm what he said.

"The King of all of Heaven told you to shove us into a basement." Lisa's eyebrow rose.

"Yes." He hadn't stuttered.

"If it weren't so useful, I'd castrate you right now." Byakuya might still be out there, but Shunsui figured that he'd rather his wife and kid be kept safe- even if he wasn't doing it. Personally he was happier Nanao and her baby were with him. For all his good traits Byakuya didn't have a high family survival rate.

---

Komamura sat next to the barrier they'd erected with Iba and Hisagi, calmly watching their friend and hero, Kensei, go crazy.

"aaaaAAAAAH" Flump.

After he'd tried bitting it, then slashing it, and even kicking it, he'd tried running and slamming his body into the blockade.

"Uhh, Kensei-san, we can't drop it. The Kido corps need to do that once the revolt is over." Hisagi tried to put it lightly, but the enraged man wasn't having it. He was very red now, and drooling a little.

"BUT AIZEN IS !" That was true as well. They could see part of the skirmish some of the people, mostly his vizard comrades.

"Kensei, is it really so important that you seek revenge? Your life is content now isn't it?" He tried his own reasoning. He'd found some great friends after he let go of his anger, especially after Tousan died. Kensei didn't agree-at all.

"I WANT TO KILL THAT MUTHERFUCKER!" Some more gnawing followed. Iba was the last to reason with him.

"You know, Vice Captain Hinamori could probably help you a lot." Clarity was back in his eyes and the temper seemed quelled-for the moment.

"And where is she?" Iba quickly realized where he'd gone wrong. Kensei stomped over and asked again.

"...she's on the otherside of the barrier, sir."

"I hate kido."

---

Kon looked up at the sky, and saw a very fucked up coloring. Or maybe it was the three blinding suns, and two moons existing at exactly the same time. Besides that, Ichigo's spiritual pressure was being broadcasted everywhere. Like the air really, only much heavier.

"Ugh, mommy I feel weird!"

"It's alright sweetie, probably justa tropical storm heading by." The other vacationrs didn't know the differences between a storm and a cataclysm. He'd heard all about the weirdo shinigami that were hunting down people. S'why he stayed on his island out of everybody's way.

The ground wasn't too stable. Hell, even the few hollows that lurked around the tropical paradise had, well, faded and exploded into the air. People weren't dying-yet.

Kon wondered what kind of party Ichigo was having for the world to end up like this.

---

"Eh, Tatsuki, do you feel that?" Orihime was under the watchful eye of Ulquiorra, but spent the time trying to make Tatsuki feel better. Apparently her fiancé had run away from her.

Whatever the answer was, was drowned out by the silence that seemed to happen suddenly. There was a sound and everything seemed frozen around them and color disappeared, besides the edges of things around them.

Those structures didn't stay for long.

Buildings crashed down and dissipated into the air and the wind rushed through them all. What was once a city around them, only a few buildings were left. The ground was covered in white sand, very much like that of Heuco Mundo. Pieces of buildings broke through the desert, but that wasn't the startling part.

Small marshes had appeared as well, like many trees adorned with flowers, and white walls of the Seireitei.

"Look up." Chad was the first to come together and looked at the sky. There were five different spheres up there, three suns and two moons.

"It...it's what happened?" People started screaming again. But it wasn't only peopled. There were shinigami, ryoka, people, hollows...everything. Ulquiorra picked up a piece of the crumbling Seireitei wall, letting it fall into the shallow sand over the road.

It had disintegrated before it reached the ground.

---

"Ah, Itsygo, you know where everybody is right?"

"Yes Nel. Your brothers are somewhere over there, okay?" Ichigo adjusted the vest and pants he'd put on. He didn't want to be king, but damn if he wasn't going to his job. Making everything in one world was messy, but he need to get this done quick. No stupid time lag no distance problems. He'd sort it all out here and now.

He wondered what many of the Espada had.

What would Aizen do?

Chapter Seventeen (By Decree)

"Isn't that them over there?" Nel and Ichigo was drifting over the mess of each world looking for each of the people they had to visit.

"Yosh." She hopped off of Ichigo's shoulder and to her brothers in the sand. There was also a stock of pink hair- Aiko had somehow become tangled up with them in the mess.

"Wheres has you all been?" The brothers stared at her, wondering if she was in the same reality as them.

"Ahs Im stayin here wit dem for a while Ichigo. Sees you later!" Nel wanted to stay with him but she knew he had other people to worry about and everything. She hadn't seen her brothers in a long time either.

"Nel...we thought you were dead!" Dondochakka was crying in the background while Pesche hugged her. It was good to be back with them.

"Yous it!"

---

The first group he found was pretty unremarkable. He barely remembered the names of any of them.

"So...err... do you like the world?" In hindsight it was a pretty stupid thing to ask when 'the world' was like some sort of fucked up five year old's bedroom. Some lego pieces, some clay, some sand, a general mess. There was only one person he was relaly going to say sorry to out of the bunch.

"I'm sorry I dragged the world into this mess." Komomura thought nothing of it and forgave him. Iba shouted about when it was going to be fixed. The world will separate on their own again.

"I'm sorry about dragging this war out and brining you harships." Komomura was starting to feel embarrassed and once again told him that as long as he thought he was going to help it would be fine. Ichigo took a deep breath and apologized once last time.

"I'm sorry for basically convincing Isshin to come back to the Soul Society." There was pause as the vice Captains looked at their furry leader. Kensei, was still banging his head against a rock, muttering about kido.

"I think maybe you should leave." The points ranked up- Isshin was worse than death.

---

It could be considered amazing when two unrelated people can channel thoughts just by a glance. When Grimmjow and Ikkaku saw Ichigo walking over a sand dune towards them, with Kira and Tesla near by as well as his banged up sister, Yuzu, they quickly came to an agreement.

"This was a training accident." Ikkaku hoped the guy believed it, while Grimmjow had his claws in Kira's ankle threatening him to agree. Grimmjow might have been the attacker but Ikakku had left her to the big, dangerous world.

Ichigo's glared at all of them, like he knew they were lying. He ruffled her hair and turned back to them.

"Hey guys. Have any big complaints right now?" Grimmjow met his eyes and growled.

"We thought you died, fucker." Ikkaku nodded along, careful not to drop Yuzu's body. Tesla and Kira couldn't think of anything truly drastic in their lives to change- the world was fine for them to the most part.

"Kurosaki-san, will this is fixed." Kira gestured to the world around them.

"Yeah, yeah it'll put itself back together. See you guys later, I've got to see some other people. Tell Yuzu I'll be back for her." They watched him leap over another sand dune and onto a broken bridge, not realizing they'd just been with their king.

---

"Ichigo! Never thought I'd actually see your face again. Maybe you'll let me see it instead of your hands?" He'd found Yoruichi and Soi Fong a few minutes after the others, and promptly covered his face.

"WOULD YOU PUT ON SOME CLOTHES WOMAN!" True, they'd been many naked women in hell- it wasn't the best place for clothes- but everyone there was starved, beaten, and barely alive. Nothing like that was being presented in front of him. Soi Fong was glaring it him, as if it were his fault that Yoruichi was parading around naked.

"I'm just gunna go now..." He scampered off without offering the chance to give some input on the way things ran. Some opinions just weren't going to be considered at all.

"Yoruichi-sama, shouldn't we go after him?" The woman wiggled her toes in front of Soi Fong's noes.

"It's over. Try smiling some more right now. It's not as if we've any standards to uphold."

---

Ichigo didn't make it a habit to feel ashamed of himself-ever. Something that lingered from what his mom used to say about being proud, but the general idea stayed with him since he was an odd ball child. Now he was an odd ball king looking for the first teacher of his that he ever respected.

With a subtle elbow in the face. The two blondes were watching with bug eyes at the battery.

"WHY ARE ALL OF MY SISTERS HURT!" Karin was lying there covered in bruises and cuts, and a distinct type of slimy mud that could only be found in hell. She too was sleeping and Ichigo wondered why he wasn't able to speak to his sisters at all.

"Like your one to talk, Kurosaki-kun. That little act of teenage rebellion you pulled drove people crazy. Aww, you did go through puberty, didn't you?" Ichigo felt his eye tick and elbowed Urahara in the face, again.

"Well anyway, do any of you have problems you need to sort out? Other than killing Sousuke." There was another weary bought of silence for an answer and Ichigo was starting to sympathize with Sousuke's badside. People just wouldn't help themselves sometimes.

"Fine I'll be back but try to figure something out?" He wiped Geta Boushi's blood off of his arm and trotted over to whomever he ran into. The wandering wasn't exactly aimless but he was trying to avoid some confrontations longer then he could.

---

He thought that, being gay, he would not get the fury of a woman. Clearly, he was wrong.

"Shunsui over there says that you're our King. Did you also tell him to barricade us in a basment?!" Shunsui was being held down by a very pregnant woman while someone that could have been her twin was glaring at him over the pages of a porno. Getting ready to say no he saw how pale and sweaty the other man was looking and quickly changed his mind.

"Y-eah, ma'am, he cared a lot about you and he wanted you safe and the basement was safe and so I told him to bring you into the basement..." Ichigo wondered what it was about women like her and Ochi that drove him into a stuttering mass. But he and Kyouraku needed to stay on very good terms.

Who knew when one of them would need an alibi. The other woman, a new Kuchiki, ordered him to go find her husband. It would have been a bad idea, he thought, to offer them a chance to change the world. They'd never give back the power.

"Right, so find Byakuya, gotcha."

---

The next group he came across was this congregation of the fourth and thirteenth division, probably because of the familial relations between the highest ranked officers and Unohana needed to baby-sit someone. He'd heard all about her temper streak from Orihime's letters to Tatsuki and opted to float around the edges of the crowd, barely noticed.

Hanataro, carrying around boxes that doubled him in height, was the first to spot him and gave an exuberant wave only to fall over.

'The ground doesn't taste too good.'

"YOU-YOU!" Ichigo looked up and grinned at his attacker.

"Can't you ever just be happy to see me?!"

"NO YOU IDIOT! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"WELL I'M NOT SO STOP TRYING TO KILL ME!" Yumichika came over and lifted her off of his throat and chest.

"Very nice to see you again, Kurosaki-san. But if I may, don't you have other places to be first?" It was amazing. Rukia not only glared at the man holding her back but started snapping at him. She wiggled free after ruffling his hair.

"Promise I fill you in on everything later, Rukia." She hugged him and had that teary eyed look on her face.

"Stupid, you'd better." Their friendship was something he could fix, much like the ones with Chad and Tatsuki.

"See you."

---

Nothing would ever make him more aware of his surroundings as having a body thrown over a grove of trees and just behind him.

"ICHIGO!" Or having Rangiku's chest in his face. It was mostly like the Rukongai where they were, and by far they were the liveliest of the groups. Kenpachi was killing whatever men were left standing up with little Yachiru cheering him on and tugging on a dazed Hitsugaya's arm.

Gin too, was watching with amusement on the makeshift campsite he'd made for Rangikut o rest on. Man usually couldn't give a damn about most people but he'd always have that soft spot for her.

" Ain't you 'possed to be dead, Ichi-berry?" He took the cup of sake she passed him and smiled.

"Nah, I'm still alive. Plan to be for a while too. What's going on around here?" Hitsugaya managed to pull himself out of Yachiru's grasp and stood off to the side of them.

"Family reunion or somtin like that. Hey, Shiro, don't you have somethin ta ask him?" Ichigo had met Hitsugaya before and thought the kid was okay. A little cold and angry, but okay. Now he looked a little shell shocked and off center, but alright physically.

"Is Karin alright?" Ichigo wondered why he wanted to know about Karin.

"She's fine, why?" There was a faint pink color on Toshiro's ears and Ichigo's alarms went off.

"Hey, why, what do you want with my sister?" Rangiku got up again and started pushing Ichigo over to the road.

"Well by now, Ichi, I'm sure you've got other people to visit!"

"No, what does he want with Karin?!"

---

Ichigo thought that his friends were perfect, plain and simple. The gathering of shinigami, humans, a vizard, arrancar, and whatever Ishida was calling himself were working together- under Orihime's supervision.

"Yo."

"ICHIGO!"

"Kurosaki." Even Chizuru was happy or at least not upset at seeing him. It was an incredibly welcome relief. Tatsuki, however, was the most interested in having him explain a few things.

"Did you do this?!" He nodded and she screamed, pulling her hair from its roots. She continued, "Now how am I supposed to find him!"

"Find who, wait. Oh geez." She flashed the quincy star from her neckline and scowled at the hospital.

"Damn. Does Ishida know? This is going to be hilarious. You could probably find Ryuuken somewhere around- everybody's here even if it doesn't seem like it..." He didn't have to continue, because she was already rousing the troops.

"Orihime, Hallibel, get up! We're going manhunting." Chad laughed and waved Ichigo off. They'd talk-or something- later.

---

He'd never thought he'd see someone else on the receiving end of his father's kicks or someone just above Rukia's height stabbing a man's leg like it was chicken, but Ichigo prepared himself to see some odd things. The man saw him and tried drawing the attack away from him. He was wearing one of the central uniforms.

"L-look there's Kurosaki, kill him instead of me! He started all of this!" The girl, Hinamori, stopped the attack after her captain did, and looked over at him, then to her Captain's back.

"Hey Dad."

"You don't look well."

"I only got out of Hell a few weeks ago. You'd look like shit too." The other man was having none of that.

"Kill the goddamn traitor already!" The heel in his gut and shoe in the face shut him up pretty quickly.

"AH! My son, the years haven't dulled your-" Isshin too was cut off.

"I've got one more stop to make. Karin and Yuzu are going to be perfectly fine, so just trust me on this?" Isshin agreed, like he had a choice. He knew he was far passed ever having a say in his son's choices anymore but he'd rather still be there for him.

---

He was the last person Ichigo wanted to see, because he wanted the most time with him. Sousuke sat on a park bench, calmly watching one of the sunsets.

"You made it out of the battle alive?" Hard eyes looked over at him.

"Maybe I should start first. After I stabbed you and had Kyoka Suigetsu keep you busy, Gin and I went to fight the Vasto Lorde with back up coming. Tousan didn't make it out alive, nor did most of the lower ranked Espada. Neliel, that child of yours, released with Grimmjow as Hallibel brought some of your Ryoka friends to help. I had passed out and woke up not as myself until a few short weeks ago." He smiled, idly playing with the metal casting.

"Sado had taken care of Gin, Rangiku, and I as children in Mexico. Now I don't suppose you have some things you want to tell me?" Ichigo didn't bother to sit down and stayed a few feet away from the other.

"I guess when you lost," he had to rub some salt in the wounds, "Kyoka Suigetsu couldn't keep hold over me and I fought with Grimmjow and Nel. Grimm took a bite out of the bastard and he died but the damn Hell Gate opened for him and dragged me down with him. Got fucked up there for a couple of years until I hitched the first portal out of there. Nel found me. Bunked with Tatsuki for a while before I went with the Princess and became King. Decided that I had enough with people trying to kill my family, so this happened."

"You are King."

"What? Going to kill me for it?" This was it for Ichigo. Either the only person he'd ever felt affection for was going to kill or the other way around. Sou- No, Aizen now, probably, got up and still didn't look at him directly. He'd felt this before. That sensation of being choked and set on a table for cutting open.

"Three weeks, I'll probably start requiting and taking power and whatever government that has been made by then over."

"Are you fucking kidding me?! DO you give a damn about me you megalomaniac!" Aizen ignored him and started stretching but it was all a show.

"Barragan and Stark, at the very least, are waiting for my orders right now, as are Rangiku and Gin since I doubt they were going to do what I asked for them. But, as always, you've created a even better diversion."

" I thought you said you were waiting three weeks?"

"And people call me the impersonal one, Ichi. We haven't seen each other in years and you want to jump into the work right away." Aizen gave one of those theater sighs and continued, "I fully intend on spending three weeks with you, like it or not. You can be King all you want, because you've just destroyed everything you had. I just plan on rebuilding it."

"Rebuilding it your way."

"I missed you. Happy now?"

"A bit."

—The End—


End file.
